Dance on our graves
by Ninadesucre
Summary: When Aaron Strauss wants to prove the world he's better than Howard Stark, the problems starts. Shield needed the Avengers again to stop the scientist but no one could imagine the magnitude of his work. Summer, his daughter, found herself caught in the middle of his vengeance. [Steve/OC] and also a little bit of [Bucky/OC];[Loki/OC];[Clint/OC];[Thor/OC]
1. Dead

Hi everyone! Finally I'm bringing you here the story of Summer and Steve :) The beginning is slow but I had to show you all the characters first, this is not just a love story…! Hope you like it!

English is not my native language, so please let me know the grammar mistakes! And sorry for that D:

* * *

[**February, 1969**]

Every story has a start. A moment in time you can point and say "_**Yeah, this is the beginning of everything**_". When Lynette crossed the hall and walked through the large room she didn't know _that was the time_.

The girl couldn't believe she was actually _**there**_; it was like a dream coming to life. Seconds later, when the magic of the moment disappeared, she felt like a fish out of water. Lynette was too _petite_ for her age; of course she was only seventeen and maybe wasn't finished to grow up yet but the other girls in the room looked so _radiant_. Her brunette hair was too short; it couldn't hide her round cheeks! Her eyes weren't big or had an unusual color; in fact they were too small and brown. _Such a common eyes_ she though and her teeth clenched in anger. Besides her _non good looking_ face there was the body. Too skinny, like a little stick you could break so easily. The dress didn't help her to look better.

Lynette borrowed it, at least she said that to herself (_it wasn't stealing! Not at all!_ She would return it as soon as possible), from Cecilia's clothes dryer, the prostitute that live next to her. Cecilia was taller than her, so the dress seemed larger than actually was. It was red and left little to the imagination causing her cheeks blushed every time a stranger looked at her. But at least was enough elegant for the event of the night.

She forgot every thought about her appearance when he showed up to the party. Howard Stark was _**the reason**_. The man was surrounded by a group of women that captured his attention, Lynette though that all of them looked like Cecilia but _more horny_. Maria Stark, Howard's wife, was holding his husband's arm with victory while looking at the women with disappointment. Howard rejected all the invitations but his eyes promised a secret night of lust when his wife wasn't looking.

Lynette didn't want to hear him calling her: 'beautiful', 'pretty' or whatever that women wished for; she was looking for a "_**you're the smartest girl I ever know.**_" She needed those words as her personal award.

"Mister Stark." She tried to catch his attention but the voices of the women were louder "Shit." There wasn't a chance of pushing the women out of him; the only option left was waiting for her turn. So she did. "Mister Stark." He was in front of her now. With his expensive suit and perfect smile, he smelled like a mix of alcohol and something Lynette couldn't recognized. "Name's Lynette."

"Nice to meet you, sweetheart." He smiled, it wasn't the same that he offered to the women. "Did you come here with your parents?" Lynette grimaced feeling a little offended but smiled to him instead of reproaching.

"No, I came alone." She leaned the head. "You know, they're too busy for _this_."

"_For this wasting of time_?" He asked nicely but his eyes sparkled a little, Lynette noticed them instantly. "Just enjoy the moment." Howard looked at his wife trying to finish the conversation with that sign. For him the girl was just another fan, a little girl fascinated by his experiments (like the flying car he showed once to the public).

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Mister Stark." Lynette moved quickly to be in Howard's way, she would never give up on this. Not now. Not when she is so near to get what always wanted. "But I really need your attention." The girl practically begged but Howard wasn't listening at all, his eyes were at the free bar. "**You** don't understand! You need _me_." A sarcastic laugh escaped from his lips, it wasn't the first time he listened that, and instantly Maria brought an elbow to shut him up. "I can prove it." She reached in her purse the papers, they were full of investigations and evidences. " I-I-I…" She stammered nervous, maybe that man was a jerk but still be one of the most brilliant minds of the decade- "I just- I just improved your serum. The super soldier one."

"_**What**_?"

Now he was _surprised_, but Lynette couldn't say if it was in a good/bad way. Howard looked angry, maybe because she stuck her nose in his work. He was obviously worried too; the super soldier serum was a secret. Nobody knew about except the people who worked for it, and for sure that kid wasn't one of them. He grabbed the papers automatically wishing for this to be a joke, but _was not_. At first sight the formulas seemed correct. It wasn't exactly the same serum, _well_, it wasn't at all. Maybe Lynette knew perfectly how to catch his attention.

"What was your name, sweetie?" Lyn was fast, she took her papers back before he could hide them from her. Howard clicked his tongue in frustration. Lynette smiled victory knowing that _she got him_. And for a second, Howard think she's the most beautiful woman in the room.

"Lynette." He waited for the last name but didn't come. "Just Lynette for you."

"Well, _Lynette_, I think this is an unexpected association."

* * *

[**December, 1991**]

Howard was dead, and also his wife Maria –but she wasn't the point. Lynette couldn't believe it even she heard the new in the radio or read the newspaper: _It couldn't be possible_. Of course Howard was human and, like everyone in the Earth, destined to die… But she never thought about it. Apparently the man and his wife were killed in a car accident on Long Island, his son Tony Stark inherited Stark Industries –becoming, at age 21, the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She felt sorry for that kid when looked at his picture in the newspaper, Tony was so much like his father -with that brown and deep eyes… She would give anything to see her image in that eyes just one more time.

"Mum!" The steps of her oldest daughter distracted her from the new; she tried to smile like nothing happened. "She did it _again_!" Lynette looked at her with confusion, the teenage girl sighed while crossing her arms. "Win' stole my shirt _again_. She did it in purpose! I was going to wear it in the audition, what am I going to wear now? Ah?"

"I don't know, honey, just choose another shirt." The eyes of her kid sparkled with indignation and deception; she waited for a vengeance against _that little monster_ not for a kind solution.

"That's all you're going to do?" Lynette sighed and shrugged her shoulders, it wasn't a good idea being the judge in that fight. "Good." She rolled her eyes. "What's going on in the world today?" Lynette showed her the newspaper with a tired smile (or maybe one that tried to hide her mood). The death of Howard Stark occupied the entire front page. "Wow, I think there's another rich we don't have to care about." She moved her eyes quickly to the kitchen clock. "_Shit_! Sully's going to be here in less than a minute! He's gonna kill me if I'm late."

"Summer." Lynette called her daughter and she turned around instantly. Summer Strauss, her oldest daughter, was eighteen and Lynette saw herself in her every day (the skinny body, the brown eyes, the way she saw the world…). There was a big part of herself in Summer and that scares her a little, a part she didn't see in her other child. A part of her she buried when met Aaron Strauss, her actual husband and _the love of her life_. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"_Ugh_! Mum! Not now." She rolled her eyes and moved quickly to leave the kitchen, Lynette found herself alone again.

Lynette lowered her eyes seeing again the new, still feeling unreal.

Summer wasn't at home yet so she took advantage of it. Her sister's room were more bigger than hers and her wardrobe, _oh that lovely wardrobe!_, was full of so many clothes she loved. Like that shirt she already took an hour ago. The door didn't make a noise when opened and the little kid entered without thinking twice. The walls of the room were painted in beige; hers were pink and god _she hated pink with all her heart_; and the sun come out from the window perfectly through the white curtains. It was like living in a soft dream.

One of the walls was decorated with a lot of photographs and she stared to them for a while, imagining herself in that places. Her favorite was one of her sister that was taken a year ago, Summer wore a ballet outfit and was sat in the ground while looking at nowhere. A big smile in her face showed her enjoyment, she loved dancing. All the photos were taking by Sullivan Bomer, the official _pain in the ass_. That boy was the perfect image of Ken, the insufferable Barbie's boyfriend (so _fucking_ blond and those blue eyes…), but with one exception. _Ken_ had a preference for other Kens, not interested in Barbie anymore.

"WHAT?" The little girl shook her body with surprise when heard his father's voice. Aaron was a quiet man, she never listened him shouting like this. "What do you mean with leaving, Lyn?" _Leaving? Where? _She asked herself in silence and tried to get closer to the wall, her parents were talking in the next room so could heard them clearly. "You can't be serious! And what happens with the girls? What am I going to tell them?" _Her mother was leaving them behind_, her heart started to beating really fast with agony. It couldn't be possible. "Lynette…"

"You knew this was going to happen one day." Lynnette seemed calm while talking, like she did this every day. Her father wasn't calm at all. Aaron was out of his mind. "Today is the day, Aaron… Just do me a last favor, do it for us, destroy everything. Give up on this investigation that is going nowhere." _Investigation_? Well, that was new. How far she knew Aaron was a professor at college that spent his free time watching the reposition of _Little House on the Prairie_, that freaking show where all the characters seemed to be patients of an Asylum. And her mother…, well…, Lynette was the prototype of housewife (so boring sometimes…). So what the hell was '_this investigation_'? "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything."

* * *

[**Present day**]

Sully smiled. Summer lost herself in the dance; the slow deep music surrounded the all theatre. With every note everybody felt floating in _Wonderland_. It was incredible and beautiful, he could notice it even didn't appreciate the ballet at all. His camera portrait a part of the magic but a photograph couldn't catch all the emotions he felt at that moment. His best friend was dancing for the first time in front of a thousand people, he was so proud of her. Summer finally got the part of Alice –the main character of the ballet 'Alice in Wonderland'- after working really hard during the last two years. After the performance, they'll go to celebrate it.

"You. Were. Amazing." Christine, one of the girls that worked in the theatre, let him to enter in the private side of the state when the ballet ended. Summer was there with the other dancers; she's still wearing the blue dress of Alice. His friend turned around when realized he was actually there. "Congratulations." They smiled together and Sully spoke during an hour about how amazing the play was, Summer listened him trying not to laugh for his new fascination. "Come on, change your clothes, we're going to have fun." Summer opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the blond guy. "No, I don't want excuses. You deserve it, okay?"

"You win, blondie, but no fun after midnight."

"Why? Are you going to transform yourself in a pumpkin or something?" Summer gave him a withering look and Sully smiled.

They were friends since first grade and became inseparables even were too different. Sullivan was all energy, mischief and pure instinct. Summer was the opposite.

"I'm not going to let you chose the site the next time." Sully complained and looked at his coffee with deception. They were in a _fucking_ cafeteria. No music. No alcohol. No cute boys around. Except the blonde cutie that sat behind Summer, but the man was too concentrated in drawing something. _Not interested in searching couple_, what a tragedy. "You know that I love you so much but you need to _go out_ more often." He pointed the mug with one of his finger. "And not going out to a place like _this_."

"_**This**_ is what I want." Summer drank her coffee and Sully saw her sad expression for a moment, catching instantly what was in her mind.

"Is this because of Ben? Because that moron doesn't deserve your happiness." She sighed avoiding his eyes. _Of course it was because of Ben_, Sullivan frowned feeling suddenly worried for her. "I thought you said you moved on. _**But**_ you clearly didn't." Summer wanted to explain her thought, but Sully didn't want to hear excuses. She suffered enough for him, now was the time to move one. "Summer…"

"You! You! You! You need—You have- You should—I'm not your problem, Sully, just leave me alone. It's not like you are much better than I with relationships." She stood up quickly grabbing her hot coffee with one hand. The mug was so full that the liquid flew away and fell on one of the clients of the cafeteria. "_**Oh**_!" Sully thought that the handsome blonde was still hottie even with the coffee in his hair and face. "Shit." The mug fell down to the ground when she tried to catch some napkin to help the guy. "I'm really sorry! _Oh my god_!" She looked at the table, the entire drawing was full of coffee. It was ruined. "I—I just…" Summer searched for Sully hoping his friend will help her, but he was enjoying the moment and had no intention to take part. "I hate you, Bomer." She whispered looking at him with anger.

"Sorry?" The guy asked confused and Summer blushed trying to explain herself with speaking quickly and moving her arms with nervousness. The man was her age too, he had a blond hair and a beautiful blue eyes. Just the opposite of the arrogant Ben, who broke up with her a month ago because he thought was too cool for her. "Are you okay?" Summer looked at him for the first time with calm, she was too nervous to stop talking or moving… The boy seemed truly worried. She couldn't believe it. Another person would be mad at her for what happened.

"Yeah… I'm actually okay." She answered and pointed with one of her fingers the drawing. "I'm sorry… I really messed up your drawing. Can I compensate you in some way?"

"I volunteer as a naked model." Sully appeared next to her with a big smile in his face, his friend gave him a withering look. The guy was so confused and so full of coffee that Summer had to bite her lip to not to laugh. "My name's Sullivan, but you can call me Sully or honey or the love of your life. I'm up to the last option." He ignored the leg of Summer kicking his own. "Ah, and she's Summer Strauss. Yeah, Summer, like the season."

"Strauss?" The blondie asked with his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did you know Aaron Strauss?" She confessed instantly that was her father. "He was one of my soldiers… He was too young… Oh my god, he's still alive after all." Sully looked at Summer with alarm in his eyes. Did he say'_my soldiers_'? The _**weird alarm**_ sounded loudly in his mind. "How is he?"

"He's not young at all, I can swear." Sully grabbed his best friend's arm. "I'm sorry, Van Gogh, but we have to go now. Y'now, staff to do. Nice to meet you though." He practically pushed Summer out of the place. "What the hell was that? Did you hear him? He—He's just thirteen, right? So how's supposed to be in the war with your father?" Summer shrugged her shoulders with no interest about knowing the answer. "Someone escaped from the asylum."

"Yeah, you did."

* * *

Judith Strauss, Aaron's younger sister, practically took the place of Lynette in the_ mother role_. She was patient with the girls and helped his brother to move on. Her eyes were the same color as Aaron's but her hair was darker contrasting the pale skin. _Too pale_. The day she felt so exhausted even to stand up of the bed Judith knew was something wrong with her. She went alone to see the doctor and after some tests, the diagnostic was clearly: Leukemia. Her bloodstream was collapsed with all the _bad cells_, the doctors said there was nothing to do with her. She smiled to them, thanked for the attention and went home to see her family.

"You're not going to die." Aaron was the first to talk after listen the new, Summer was too shocked to even say something and Win, _oh her little Winnifred_, looked like her world was suddenly destroyed. "They lied, There's gotta be something-" Judith said no with her head trying to transfer her calm to him.

"Everyone has to die one day, no one lives forever." _But it's too earlier_, she thought but didn't say something. Judith knew she was the 'center' of the family, the big magneto that made the family stayed together. "I don't want any treatment." But Aaron wasn't listen at all, he stood up and seconds later was gone of the house. Judith hoped he respected her decision.

"Are you going to leave us?" Win hugged her instantly and started to cry like nothing could console her.

* * *

Against Judith's wishes, Aaron started to investigate about her illness. He left his job at the university and created his own lab at his basement. The girls had no permission to go there. Judith was no stupid, all the machines Aaron had didn't appear from nowhere. He had them before she got the leukemia, Judith was sure.

"OH. MY. GOD." Judith rolled her eyes. Phoebe Book, a _blonde blue eyes _chick, was helping his brother with the investigation. The girl was really young, maybe was the same age as Summer, but when she concentrated enough in her job Judith could see the brilliant in her. Now wasn't one of that moments. "How fabulous is Pepperony, right? Right? Just look at them and imagine all the pretty babies she could have. I'd pay anything to take care of that little genius." Phoebe was looking one of the magazine she brought with her. "I love them." Her eyes sparkled with something Judith described as madness.

"Pepper Potts is pregnant?" Judith knew she was going to the wolf cave with participant in the conversation, but was too bored for ignoring her.

"No, but she is in my imagination." _That was freaking weird_, the Strauss woman thought but tried to smile calmly. "What about you, Juddy? Do you want to have kids?"

"I already have two." Phoebe smiled catching the information instantly. Summer and Winnifred were like her daughters to Judith.

"Yes!" Aaron, ignoring all the conversation, moved his arms with victory and looked at his sister. "You're not going to die soon." The smiled he showed scared her.

* * *

The doctors couldn't explain her case, _the bad cells_ as she called them, were actually there, in her veins, but the illness was like "_frozen in time_". No symptoms. No needing of blood transfusions. Judith felt a new energy floating in her veins, it was incredible –the leukemia felt like a distant nightmare. Aaron was full of enjoyment, he cooked a special dinner for them to celebrate the good news. The girls couldn't explain it too, they knew their father did something of course, but were happy to have Judith back so didn't ask question. No questions, no answers. The happiness of ignorance was all they wanted.

"Cool, it smells really good." Sullivan, who invited himself to the dinner when Summer told him about it, was already sat waiting for the food. Win gave him a withering look wishing he felt out of the place, but that didn't happen. "What's up, Winter?" Win tried to kick him in the leg but Sullivan was too fast for her. "Little Winnie is going to cry." He moved quickly trying to escape from Winnifred's kicking. Sully pushed Aaron, who was walking behind him holding the salad.

"Be careful!" But the advertisement of Judith was too late. Aaron fell and so the salad did. Judith moved her arms trying to hold the plate of food but she was too far.

Then the plate stopped to fall like it was held by one invisible thread.

"What the hell—" Sully opened his mouth totally surprised. Judith looked at her hands; she felt the energy flow from her body to her hand. Aaron touched the object with one finger, it was totally real. "Can somebody explain this to me, please?"

"It's…" Aaron held the plate of the salad with his both hands, he couldn't move the object from there. "It's frozen in time." He looked directly at Judith, who made a step back. Suddenly the plate fell to the ground when Aaron moved his hands to stop his sister. "We need to do more tests."

* * *

His experiment was more effective than he thought at the beginning. Aaron tested the new ability of her sister a couple of times: He was sure she could stop time. Of course it had a scientist explication: the cells of Judith mutated after he used the serum in her… giving her the ability of controlling time.

He knew that was possible, Lynette worked in genetic mutations before they met. But she never was succeeded when tried to create a mutant. And, _oh_, he was. The results were so well matched for the army, they'll love it. They'll beg for having it.

His thoughts stopped at that point. What if Judith, his patient zero, was just an exception? What if the serum didn't work with others? That could be a serious problem. He needed to use the serum in another subjects to prove his theories.

"Mister Strauss?" A male voice asked and Aaron turned around to see a young guy, he frowned. "Is Phoebe here, sir?" Aaron stared at him for a while until recognized him. He was Matthew Lee, Phoebe's boyfriend. The boy was around his thirty, had glasses and a short brown hair. "Do you know where I can find her?" He was orphan, Phoebe told him once, and was sure his assistant didn't love him at all. He was perfect.

* * *

Matty broke up with her. No explanations, just a message in her phone at midnight. Phoebe couldn't believe it. Matthew was a good guy, maybe _too good_, so it was unbelievable he used the freaking phone instead of talking face to face. And that one wasn't the only surprised of the day. When she went to Aaron's house to start the journey, he fired her. No explanations _again_.

"Why is this happening to me?" Phoebe was crying like a little girl while Judith tried to console her, but it was a hard job 'cause the blondie didn't listen her at all. "Is because of Karma? I'm a good girl! I did everything right!"

"It's not your fault, Phoebs…" And Judith knew her words were true. Her brother closed to himself after he found out about her new abilities. Aaron moved his lab in the middle of the night without telling to anyone. When Judith asked why he did it, Aaron never answered. He just smiled –but not in the same way he used to. She was worried, _really worried_. "I'm sure you'll find a new job pretty soon."

"You really think that?" For the first time Phoebe listened to her and suddenly smiled with her habitually craziness. "Can you imagine me working at the Stark Company?" Judith made a face. _Poor Tony Stark_, she thought for a seconds but nodded when Phoebe looked at her. Judith was afraid to contradict the mad blondie. "Cool! I'm going to see Aaron. Maybe he could write me a letter of recommendation for the new job." She stood up from the sofa with decision. "Give me luck, Juddy."

"You don't need it." Phoebe smiled to her with tenderness and Judith knew she was going to miss her so much.

* * *

Aaron wrote the numbers in his notebook.

Judith Strauss – The patient zero. Ability: Molecular Immobilization. State: Alive, no desires of cooperation.

Matthew Lee – Number one. Ability: Telekinesis. State: Deceased, killed accidentally when number two escaped.

Phoebe Book – Number two. Ability: Electric Manipulation. State: Alive, escaped from the lab. No desires of cooperation. Missing.

Sullivan Bomer – Number three. Ability: Immortality. State: Alive, no desires of cooperation but locked up in the lab.

Ben Scott – Number four. Ability: Clairvoyance. State: Alive, collaborator with the investigation.

Jaquelin Carlton – Number five. Ability: Telepathy. State: Alive, collaborator.

Six examples of the usefulness of his serum; was a good beginning. The only problem was the _willfulness _of his experiments; the most of them were included in the project by _accident_. Phoebe came out searching for a letter of recommendation; he gave a sedative injection to her to ensure her participation. When the girl woke up was so afraid that acted without thinking, she only wanted to survived. Matty tried to stop her, but died electro shocked. Now Aaron wasn't sure where Phoebe was. Sully was a friend of the family so it was easily to convince to come at the lab alone, he wasn't _exactly_ a team member (no desires to be involucrate in the experiment) but again Aaron used the power of the sedatives. Sullivan was locked up to ensure he didn't escape like number two did. Ben Scott, who was a police, came to the lab looking forward the three missing people… He was narcissist and took the change to be more powerful without thinking. Jaquelin Carlton was a tramp, no home to go after the night came out. It was easily to convince her, promising her a warm place to sleep and a better life.

But Aaron needed a seventh member. _No_, in fact, he wanted recognition. The hole world will know his name, his work, his contribution to the human life.

He will be better than Howard Stark. And Lynette will finally know it.

* * *

Summer waited three hours under the rain for Sullivan but he never came, she hoped to see him in the public like every night at the theatre but he wasn't. Her friend was missing: no calls, no letters, no smoke signals… He seemed to dissipate into thin air. The police tried to find him but there wasn't a clue where he could be. Summer was worried about him. Sully wasn't the typical guy who was in problems or with bad companies, and he'll never disappear without telling her. She checked her watch _again_, it passes three hours since the play finished. Summer needed to go home before someone start to worry about her.

Someone shouted trying to warn her.

A car was out of control because of the rain; his driver couldn't stop the vehicle. The brakes didn't respond. The road was too slippery. A truck tried to avoid the car with a sharp movement, the wheels slipped without control.

Summer looked up astonished for what happened. The car left uninjured but the truck didn't suffer the same lucky.

It only took a second. A bus crashed into the truck violently. Summer couldn't remember the moment she was involucrate in the accident but suddenly everything was black.

"Oh my god!" The voice of a woman came to her from the distance and so a baby crying. "Help! Help! Someone call the ambulance! Please!" She shouted desperate and then everything went black again.

"I'm calling! I'm calling!" There was a second voice when she woke up, it belonged to a woman. Summer moved her head knowing that she lost her consciousness for a seconds, she couldn't afford falling into the black again. She was surrounded by metal, maybe was under one of the vehicles. Alive but trapped. "Hello? We're-" Suddenly the eyelids were too heavy to open them. She closed the eyes feeling a calm through her body. "Potts, I'm Pepper Potts." She heard the woman again, her voice returned her to the reality.

"Eh!" She felt tired, shattered. "Pepper! There's someone trapped here!" Now the voice sounded near to her and one of the pieces of the car moved, one moonlight came to the little hole and Summer blinked to adapt her eyes to it. "Eh, eh, what's your name?" There was a man looking at her through the little hole. Little by little the vision of him was becoming blurry, her eyes couldn't focus clearly. "Listen to me, everything is going to be okay." He swore and for a moment the statement sounded like an order not like one that tried to calm her. "Hey, sleepy beauty, open your eyes for me." Summer nodded but it was the hardest work she did in her entire life. "What's your name, sweetheart?" He asked again. His voice tried to sound calm but Summer catch the nervousness in his tone. "Pepper! My suit! I need it!" He shouted moving his eyes to someone Summer couldn't see at all. "Your name, tell me your name."

"Summer…" She stuttered and then started to cry. _Everything wasn't going to be okay_, the expression of the man confirmed it to her when he looked her body. The adrenaline was hiding the pain from her because she couldn't feel the wounds. _No_, _she couldn't feel anything at all_. The voice of the woman called him, Summer found out that his name was Tony. "No! Don't go please!" She begged when realized that the woman wanted him to come where she was. Summer tried to move her hand, reaching for him. "Please, don't leave me here… Please." She watched her hand for a moment, it was full of blood. It was her blood or maybe belonged to another person? _It doesn't matter_, she thought. "Don't leave me alone…" The darkest called her again, now was much powerful and threatened to shallow all the light. "Don't go… Don't…" A sweet song started to sound in her head; she lost herself in the notes. And suddenly there was only peace.

Tony looked down. It was over. The ambulance was coming quickly but was too late for her. The face of Tony Stark was the last face she saw and he couldn't do anything to help her.


	2. Resurrection

Hello! :) I'm back with the second chapter, hope you'll like it!

Thank you so much for the reviews! It cheers me up to write, I didn't know how many people were interested in this story until now. I'm very surprise! I can't be happier right now! (And I hope the story didn't disappoint you, I know it can be a little slowly but in the next chapter Summer and Steve finally meet! Just wait for it :) )

* * *

[**August 1944**]

They needed every soldier, one man could be the difference between losing or winning the war –or at least that's Bucky said. Steve wasn't sure about that. He chose his team properly, making sure he trusted every man. Recruiting new members without knowing them better could be a risk for the mission. "We need more members, Steve." Bucky said to him with tired eyes, they were sat at the bar trying to convince the other. "How many soldiers Red Skull have at this moment? Ah?" The answer was clear: Johann Schmidt had millions of followers. The number of soldiers of Hydra couldn't compare with the Steve's group. "Talk to Phillips, maybe he can send you some men…"

"I'll think about it."

The following day someone nocked to his door very early in the morning. After dressing himself Steve opened the door while yawing. Bucky was there with a big smile in his face, next to him there was a young boy –who had blue eyes and a dark blond hair. "Say hi to our new member, Cap." Bucky announced and hit the shoulders of the young boy with excitement. "I met him yesterday at the bar." He whispered to the Captain with a mischievous smile in his face. "He was losing a fight against two _bullies_. Guess what I thought at that moment." Steve looked at him with disappointment; the young boy was practically a teenage. He had his whole life… Their mission was too dangerous for that kid. "Yes! Little Steve! Haha!" Bucky messed up the hair of the young boy. "What do you think? Cool, right?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Steve smiled to the young boy, he was so shocked and nervous to meet the real Captain America Steve felt afraid he could faint. "Alone." Steven emphasized and the two boys separated from the young one. "He's just a kid!" He complained and pointed to him.

"He is." Bucky shrugged his shoulders with indifference. "But he's brave enough for our team." Steve didn't doubt about his bravery, he doubted about his age. He was really young; he could live a thousand experiences before see the cruelty of war… "He reminds me of you, Cap." The young boy was taller than he was and stockier, Steve didn't see his old himself at all. "Just give him an opportunity…"

"What's your name, kid?" Steve asked to the boy and he jumped with surprise. Captain America was talking directly to him! He swallowed his own saliva and tried to be calm. _Don't faint now, don't faint now _–the young boy said to himself over and over again.

"Aaron, sire," The young boy answered talking for the first time. "Aaron Strauss"

* * *

[**Present day**]

Judith looked at her niece feeling so proud of her –and thanking her brother to be alive to have the opportunity to saw her growing up so fast. Winnifred Strauss was doing her Chinese homework and her only doubt was why everyone in the textbook asked for the library. That didn't make sense at all. _I'd ask for anything but the fucking library_ –she was thinking when suddenly the phone started to ring. Judith picked up instantly with a smile in her face. "Judith's talking."

Winnifred returned to her homework. She knew Judith was expecting a call from her new boyfriend –a man called Phil who worked for the post office- so maybe now was the time to go out to take some fresh air. "Yeah, it's me. No, no, I'm her aunt…" The young girl stopped in the middle of the living room. Her aunt's voice sounded worried, something happened. "The hospital…?" The skin of Judith's face turned pale. Something really bad happened –but at that moment Winnifred couldn't imagine how bad the situation was. The phone ran from Judith's hands to the floor, a silent invaded the room and none of the Strauss girls could say anything. Winnifred was too afraid to ask and Judith to shocked to answer. "Take the car, Fred." Judith said finally without seeing her.

Aaron was the first to arrive at the hospital; he felt his knees failing when asked for his child in the reception. The secretary looked at him for a moment; she opened the mouth but could make any sound –the name of his daughter appeared next to the word _deceased_. "Mister Strauss?" Aaron turned around to see a doctor coming –the doctor was a young woman with dark hair, her eyes were an open book and Aaron knew exactly what was going to say. "I'm really sorry, we did everything we could but…" Aaron felt his world crashing down and he needed to lean on the wall to not fall down. "She was dead when arrived to the hospital, we couldn't do miracles."

_A miracle_? Aaron thought without seeing the doctor. _A miracle was his sister stilled alive when the doctors said there was nothing to do_. He pressured his lips feeling powerless, the medicine was so _**undeveloped**_… But he was different, for the god's sake he **did** a miracle! "Can I see her, doctor?" Aaron asked in a whisper trying to seem devastated for the new, the doctor sighed and touched his shoulder trying to conform him. "It's not recommendable, Mister Strauss, she's… You should remember her like the last time you saw her."

"I know but I _**need**_ to see her." The doctor nodded with sad eyes and walked with him through the hospital corridor, they stopped in front of a door –it had a sign, it said _morgue_. "Are you sure…?" Aaron said yes with his head and took the doorknob with decision. "I'll be waiting here." The woman said knowing he wanted some privacy to say goodbye to his daughter. "Thanks, doctor." And he closed the door behind him.

The morgue was cold –maybe because it helped to hide the smell of the dead bodies, and Aaron waited a minute in the entrance to adapt himself –the cold wasn't the only inconvenient, the smell of the decomposition reminded him the time he was in the war (how many putrefied cadavers he saw in the trench). There was only one metal stretcher. A sheet covered a body and Aaron had to take it off to make sure it was Summer. _**And it was**_. The girl had her eyes closed like she was dreaming in peace, but the gray color of her skin indicated the condition of her lifeless. Her brown hair was so full of dried blood that seemed ginger for a second. Aaron's hands started to shake when he saw the wounds of the car crash: her leg was totally broke –he could see the bones making its way through the skin, and there was a lot of bruises that indicated she had intern hemorrhages. _Maybe this time it was impossible to make a miracle_.

Alex Reid, the doctor, took advantage of the situation –she had enough time to go out to make a call, it wasn't enough coverage over there. She went to the first floor near to the cafeteria –it wouldn't be a crime to take a break from her work, she needed caffeine to keep moving, and dialed a number Alex had memorized for so long. She made a promise long time ago and now was the time to make it real. At the third call he picked up the phone –_oh_, his voice sounded like time hadn't passed. "You still have this number, cool." She said before he could say anything but _hello?_. "Listen to me, this is not a friendly call, understand?" Alex took the coffee from the machine; it was too warm to drink it now. "_Understand_." He said calmly like he didn't care about her angry mood, Alex grinded her teeth to stop herself to say something she could regret later. "She's here."

"_Who_?" He asked confused needing more information, Alex sighed looking at his coffee. She had the obligation to tell him, or at least said that to herself. "Summer Strauss, her daughter." Then it was a silent nobody wanted to break but Alex finally started to talk. "She's dead, I couldn't do anything for her." Again there was a silent, _say something please_ she begged for herself and wished to see his face at that moment. "I'm sorry, Clint, if you…" But suddenly he interrupted her. "_What about Lynette? Is she there?_" Alex made a face, _**her**_ _again_. She didn't know why he was so obsessed with that woman –she was too old for him! "No, she's not. Only her father is here."

"_Let me know if Lynette shows herself._" He hung out after saying that and Alex needed a moment to get her calm back –she wanted to smash her phone to the wall like it was _his face_ smashing.

Aaron threw up his breakfast into the wastepaper basket. Alex was right, he shouldn't be there watching the dead body of his daughter. The door opened and he thought it would be the doctor but was wrong. "I thought you were stronger, Aaron, but you still been too much apprehensive." A voice sounded making Aaron jumping with surprise –he cleaned his mouth with a Kleenex. The voice belonged to a small man who covered his face thanks to the shadow of a gray hat, but Aaron didn't need to see him to recognize him.

"What are you doing here, Zola?" The small man took off his hat and smiled. Aaron looked at him trying not to seem astonished for his presence, Doctor Arnim Zola looked the same even it passed thirty years of his last meeting –_he didn't change a bit_. "I'm not in the mood right now for your madness." Zola made a face feeling offended; he took a step forward to be near to Aaron.

"I'm here to help you, my friend." And his eyes moved to Summer's body. "I heard you needed a miracle."

When Alex returned to the morgue she found it empty. Aaron Strauss wasn't there and so was the dead body. She froze without knowing what to do, she could be fired if her boss noticed she lost a body. Alex turned herself around, she was enough responsible to take the fault of her mistake. But then when she left the morgue a woman appeared in front of her. "Forget it, forget it all." The woman said but his lips didn't move at all –Alex heard her voice clearly in her head, it wasn't her imagination. "Forget what you see." And suddenly the worry faded away; in fact she couldn't remember why she felt worried.

"I'm sorry, this is a private area. You shouldn't be here." Alex said to the woman in front of her. The patients or/and the familiars weren't allowed to enter the morgue without supervision. The woman smiled to her and turned around to make her way back to the first floor, Alex saw her leaving and when she was far enough to see her Alex turned around to see the morgue again. Something happened there but couldn't remember what.

The woman left the hospital without talking to anyone else, her work there was over she should return to the lab as Aaron commanded. "Good girl." His companion said when she entered to the car. Ben Scott, number 4, smiled to her. They were a good team, no one could stop them. Jake Carlton, number 5, didn't agree with him but didn't say anything. She wasn't a good girl at all and worked better alone. "The cat's got your tongue." Ben joked. "What is in your head, Jackie?"

"Dead people should stay dead."

* * *

Sullivan woke up the instant Ben and Jackie entered to the room carrying a giant back plastic bag, he stood up but didn't move because Aaron was looking directly to him –Sully wasn't a prisoner anymore in exchange he should obey like a dog. A man he didn't meet before crossed the lab and opened the plastic bag, his heart stopped at that moment –well, if that could be possible because now was immortal. Summer, _**his**_ Summer, was there laying in the table totally dead. "You're a monster…" He whispered looking at Aaron and felt his anger growing up.

"_Don't, Bomer, stay calm._" A voice sounded inside his head and he knew Jake was using her power to calm him down. "She died in a car crash, if you want to blame someone… Blame Tony Stark." Aaron said while he was putting electrodes in Summer's head, the other man got close to Sullivan –he was bringing a syringe with him.

"I need your blood, kid." Zola said to him and invited Sully to sit down in a chair, he shook his head to say no. "I thought she was your friend…" He moved his head to see the dead body of Summer, Sullivan couldn't look to that direction anymore. His heart broke every time he does. "And friends help each other, right?" Aaron nodded his head, he agreed with the new Doctor. "You're the only one who can save Summer." Sully sat down obedient and offered his arm to Zola, who smiled with triumph.

"Can you bring her back?" He asked with fear and Zola looked at him through his glasses, the doctor nodded without hesitate and concentrated again in the blood he was taken. "But she's dead… What happens with her soul?" Zola started to laugh loudly and Aaron followed him.

"Sullivan, my friend, the soul didn't exist. Everything is electricity. The brain, with his neurons, works thanks to it and also does the heart. It's not the soul, it's…" He paused and Sully was going to open his mouth to complain but quickly Aaron proceeded. "Electricity…" He looked up to catch Zola's attention. "Phoebe Book." Number two could bring the electricity to Summer –only her could regulate the perfect dose. "Five." He turned around to look for Jacquelin, the girl was next to Sullivan trying to make sure the blond boy wouldn't escape. "Bring Two, we need her."

* * *

Ben was helping with the physic work, Aaron and Zola weren't exactly strong men and the machines were too heavy to be carried by them. He didn't understand at all how this was going to work but fortunately Ben wasn't the brain of the group. "If this work out, Aaron…" Ben heard Zola even he whispered to make sure only Aaron could hear him, they were so close to him. "We'll bring him back."

* * *

Phoebe couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing –at that moment she didn't care about the handcuffs Jake put it on her. Summer was dead –her gray skin, her wounds, the blood in her dead body and hair… She needed to avoid the image; Phoebe felt teardrops in her eyes but tried to hold them to not seem weak. "What do you want from me, monster?" Aaron half-closed his eyes with offense –Sully named him _monster_ too, _why didn't they see the perfection of his work_? He got close to her; Phoebe was shaking with terror in her eyes.

"I need your help, Phoebe." The girl shook her head no and took a step back. "I need your help just one more time, only one…" Phoebe looked behind him; Zola was injecting a red serum in Summer's arm. Little by little all the wounds she suffered started to disappear, even the gray color of her skin turned pink. "Surprised?" Aaron guided her to be close to the table. "The only problem is the electricity, Book, but with your abilities we could..."

"What if I can't control it?" Phoebe asked worried, she only used her power once and that time her ex-boyfriend died electroshocked. "What if I kill her instead of…?" _well she was actually dead, she couldn't be deader_ Phoebe thought and pressed her lips, that wasn't the point.

"You can see it like this: if you don't help us," Zola got close to her, it was obvious he knew how to convince people easily. "our next guinea pig will be Jack Book." He looked at Aaron with a smile in his face. "Your innocent brother, Phoebe, will be perfect, right Aaron?"

* * *

The waiting was unbearable. Slowly Summer opened her eyes. Phoebe smiled but she had to step back to sit down, was exhausted –too much concentration, she felt blood trickled out her nose. Sully got close with two strides to stay behind Aaron, his expression illuminated every time Summer blinked full of life again. He wished to run next to her and hug her, but something in his belly stirred with angst –Something in her eyes indicated to him that wasn't _**his**_ Summer. The girl sat up in silent watching nowhere while no one dared to talk to her.

"Incredible." Zola whispered and took a step forward –like to be closer made it more real. "Incredible." He repeated it excited. He couldn't believe Aaron did the impossible; he brought someone back to the death. "Strauss…" It was precisely, now they know it worked out, to start a new project. Bringing _**him**_ back was the reason Zola offered his help to Mister Strauss. His thought were interrupted when Summer cried out and covered her ears with her hands, her face expressed pain and agony.

_The light. The metal. Pepper's voice. The salad savor of the blood in her mouth. The ambulance were so far… Darkness. The man who found her. __**Don't leave me**__. His eyes. His sad eyes. He knew it. He knew it she was going to die._ Summer cried out again with fear. _The crash. The bus. Dead people._ She raised her voice to shut up the voices in her head. _The blood. __**Hey, sleepy beauty, open your eyes for me**__._ She shouted loudly.

"Summer!" Sully was the first to react; he got close and held her by the shoulders to calm her. When their skins touched something inside Sullivan started to _fluid_ –a power that didn't belong to him. He moaned with pain; something was _sucking_ him. Summer shut up instantly and looked at him with indifference. Sully saw her empty eyes, _she wasn't Summer_. "Sum, please…" He moaned again and tried to stay away from her but couldn't separate his hands from her skin. He felt he was going to faint, his energy was stealing in a way he couldn't explain. "Sum…"

Aaron took a syringe with decision, it contained a powerful sedative, and charged at her without hesitate. Summer saw him before he could reach her, she dropped Sullivan and dodged the attack. Thanks to the ballet she was agile enough to be a problem. Sully fell down to the ground trying to breath. Summer jumped from the table and stood up, her legs failed and she found herself in the ground in front of her ex-best friend.

Zola reached for a couple of gloves, it was obvious the power of Summer was active with the touch of the skin. The experiment was failed, they needed to get rid of Summer –she was officially dead for the system so it wasn't a big deal. He took the gun Ben carried with him.

"You promised." Summer whispered lowly and Sully looked up to see her face. "You said you took care of me." He stood in silent without knowing what to say. Yeah, he _actually_ **did** that promise. "I'm fine, Sully, there's nothing wrong with me… I'm fine… Please… I'm fine…" Sully saw Aaron behind her again, he was holding the syringe again –he put a finger in his lips asking Sully for silent. "I'm…" A shotgun interrupted her.

* * *

Phoebe didn't waste the time, she took advantage of the chaos to run away -making sure Ben or Jacquelin didn't follow her. When she had run five blocks a car stopped in front of her but wasn't Aaron or Zola, she felt her heart beating really fast. _What about now? What is going to happen now?_ Phoebe concentrated herself, she'd use her abilities in case it'll be necessary. "Phoebe Book?" A woman left out of the car, she wore a black suit that contrasted with her red hair. "I'm Natasha Romanov."

"I'm sorry but I think I'm not in the mood to be nice." The ginger smiled in a strange way. "What do you want from me, Natasha?" She asked with sarcasm, everyone wanted something lately –and usually was something to do with her new abilities. "Shield is interested in you."

* * *

"Oh fuck." Sully woke up two hours later, he spitted out the bullet to the ground. He was quickly enough to step in between Summer and the bullet. "Maybe I'm immortal but it fucking hurts." He stood up and realized instantly he wasn't in Aaron's lab anymore. "Did I wake up in Narnia?" The place was practically in ruins and some vegetation entered through the windows –the fresh air leaked from the little holes making the place colder than actually was in the beginning.

"Help me, Sullivan." Aaron asked and the blond put his attention in him. The scientist was building _something_ –Sully couldn't say what was that, outwardly seemed a metal coffin but he wasn't sure. "It's too heavy for me." Sully helped him to carry the coffin inside another room, a dark and filled of dust one. "Now bring Summer before she wake up." Aaron pointed the coffin. "It's like an incubator; it'll keep her alive while she's sleeping… Summer is dangerous… Or maybe her powers are… Until I'll find out how to help her we need to keep her sedated. Understand?" Sully nodded slowly.

"I understand… But… Why this place? What happens with the lab?" He asked confused and Aaron held his shoulders, the Strauss was serious and worried at the same time. "Do me a favor, Sullivan, _protect her_. Protect her from Zola."

Before Aaron left, he opened his notebook and wrote: Summer Strauss – Number six. Ability: Absoption of memories, skills and powers through skin-to-skin contact. (Aaron had the feeling Sullivan would be dead if he wasn't immortal). State: sedated.

* * *

[**A year later – post Avengers** ]

Director Fury looked at them. Tony wasn't concentrate in the conversation, his attention was in the menu the cafeteria offered –it was a bad idea making the reunion in that place. Bruce was in the middle trying to stay calm but he seemed nervous, he didn't expect Shield call them so early. Steve was the only one concentrate in the mission –he truly was a soldier. Fury sighed and put nine reports in the table. "This is the reason I called you." He took the first one and showed to the guys. "What's this?" Tony asked confused. "Your new boy band?" Fury raised one of his eyebrows; he wasn't in a mood for jokes.

"Aaron Strauss." He pointed to his report, there was a photo in it and information about his past. Steve didn't need to read it, he _**knew**_ who Aaron was. "He was one of my soldiers, I thought he was dead." He explained carefully, Bruce listened to him but Tony yawned bored. "Well, he's alive." Fury said with sarcasm. "_Very alive_. We think he's implicated in some experiments… He created a serum capable of gave people extraordinary abilities. This is Judith Strauss, his sister, Agent Coulson was looking after her but…" A silent involved them but _now Phil was dead_, Fury moved his head to leave the sad thoughts out of his mind. "She could be the patient zero." Bruce took the report about her and started to read it, _it was incredible_. The serum made her _sane_. "You don't need to worry about number one, Matthew Lee, he's dead."

"Wait." Tony took the next report, the one who belonged to the experiment number two. "She's my Pikachu." A photo of Phoebe, the new secretary of Pepper, was in the report –there wasn't a doubt, it was her (that could explain why she could control electricity, Phoebs turned on and off the lights of the tower with a blink of an eye). "Did you know that?" Fury didn't say a think and Tony pressed his lips angry. _Too much secrets in Shield_. But one think was true, he trusted Phoebe –she wasn't a threat.

"She killed Matthew, Tony." Steve said after reading Phoebe's report, Tony ignored his comment and looked at Fury with disappointment. Shield sent Phoebe to spy him a year ago (Tony knew it but he appreciated Phoebe enough to let her stay with him and Pepper at the Stark Tower) and now they're saying she was dangerous. "I think you're confused, Phoebe is not an experiment." Tony complained looking through the window of the cafeteria. "I'm bored and I'm going to leave."

"It's your decision, Stark." Fury sighed, it was a hard work dealing with Tony's personality. "Sullivan Bomer was a close friend of the family, the boy disappeared without a trace… The police couldn't find his body, we think Aaron got him prisoner. Jacquelin Carlton and Ben Scott…"

"I know her." Steve interrupted him pointing one of the report, it belonged to Summer Strauss –the deceased daughter of the scientist. "I met her once in a cafeteria…" His eyes catch the status of the girl. "She's dead…?" Fury moved his head, they weren't sure about that because Aaron stole the body from the morgue. "But no one can resurrect the dead."

"Well Frankenstein did." Tony said with sarcasm but the Director saw the sadness in his eyes –his auto destruction. He knew Tony was implicated in the car crash where Summer died, the Stark blamed himself for that every day of his life. "Apparently Aaron Strauss can make de impossible…. Possible. Where is he now? Why did you want to find him _**now**_? Why not when this started? It was a year ago…"

"Natasha discovered something about a seventh experiment." Fury looked directly to the Captain. "I'm not sure you wanted to hear this, Captain."


	3. Aaron's lab

Here we are! A new chapter of DOOG! Hope you'll like it as much as I do! :D

* * *

[ **December 1977** ]

Barney gave her a little touch in the shoulder to catch her attention, he already found him. Lynette moved her eyes from the volunteer -who was explaining to them the tasks of the day- to the little boy. He was at the age of six but anyone could see the resemblance with his father –Barney had that look too. "Thank you for your time, we appreciate the help." Lynette smiled to her and without taking a look she took one of the presents from the pile.

Barney and Lynette Barton were twins but they couldn't be more different –physically and psychologically.

Two months ago Barney found out about their father's dead –the man who abandoned them when their mother died, Harold Barton and his _new_ wife died in a plane crash making their _only_ child orphan. It wasn't complicated investigate where was the kid –there was only two orphanages in the city. "He's _our_ family now." Barney whispered to her with a rude voice, he wasn't actually happy to know they had a stepbrother.

"Hey, little buddy, do you now Santa Claus came here last night?" Lynette blended down to see him in the face, while the other kids were excited because of the present this one seemed sad and out of place. "He brought you a present." The kid took the present and before she could do something he threw it away. "Wow, you're not a present person…"

"You don't need to be sad, kiddo, your father was an asshole and your mot—" Lynette looked up to shut him up; Barney clicked his tongue and shrugged his shoulders with indifference. "He must know the truth, her mother was a whore." He excused himself in a whispered but his twin didn't agree with him, he was only a child… That little innocent kid couldn't understand why he was saying bad things about his father and mother. "Don't listen him, he's the real asshole." Lynette smiled to him with mischievous. "My name is Lynette by the way, but you can call me Lyn. What's yours?"

"His name is Clinton, it's a crappy name."

"What's your problem? Shut your fucking mouth, Charles." Charles Bernard '_Barney_' Barton started to grumble, he hated the kids with all his heart so his definition of joy didn't include an orphanage. "Clint is a beautiful name, believe me." For the first time the little kid smiled to her.

* * *

[ **Actual day** ]

As a good team they decided to divide the group in two to cover more area. The first one, leaded by Captain America, was formed by Black Widow, Hawkeye and the mentioned Steve Rogers; their mission was inspect Strauss's lab –SHIELD finally found the new localization of the place. The second group formed only by Tony aka Ironman and Bruce Banner had the complicated part. Three days ago Aaron sent a message to Tony dating him in a cafeteria, it was a famous one –a lot of people went there to taste the fabulous and unique café. Aaron wanted to cover his shoulders, Ironman and Hulk wouldn't attack a poor old man in front of so many witness.

After the talking with Fury, Tony tried to find new information about the mad scientist but couldn't find much. Aaron Strauss was a respectable professor at the University of Portland who never committed a crime. He retired years ago after his daughter's dead but still collaboration with the university in his free time. That was all he could find in _the official sites_. Then he started to reach in Shield's files, a project named "_**The seven**_" was directly attach to the name of Aaron Strauss. Even he tried with all his inventiveness Tony couldn't get the file –JARVIS was working on it while they're sitting in the cafeteria. There wasn't a technology in the world that could resist to him. _Impossible_.

"Mister Strauss." Tony looked at him when the scientist sat down in front of them. "My name is Tony Stark, this is Bru—"

"Do you have red Jell-O?" Aaron ignored him completely when a waitress passed near to them. Tony clicked his tongue feeling irritated by the old man. "Y'now, the one that makes your tongue red after eating it." Aaron was in his sixties; his hair was growing up white so it seemed grey from the distance, his blue eyes had seen a thousand experiences so it was impossible to fool him. And right now he was disgusted because there wasn't red Jell-O in the cafeteria; Tony couldn't believe that he was the man who actually created the seven _monsters_. "Only green! _Ugh_!" Aaron complained and the waitress excused herself in order to attend the other customers –they're full today. "I don't like the green things…" He whispered to himself, his eyes were looking directly to Bruce. He shivered in a bad way, _Aaron knew it_. "The color red is always better. The Jell-O, the licorice, the candies, Iron man…"

"Red Skull." Tony added with a serious looking, Aaron smiled and landed his head to the left. "I heard about your team, Stark, _The Avengers_… Do you think your boys can win mine?"

"As far as I know, your team is not passing a big moment." Tony pointed out. Number one, Matthew Lee, was pushing up daisies and Phoebe, number two, was by _**his**_ side. That's only left Aaron a pizza maker –Sully Bomer, a homeless –Jake Carlton, an arrogant police who had more merits for looking at the mirror than helping people and a zombie –Ben Scott. "Give up on this, Strauss, you're not even a pebble in my shoe." Tony stood up to seem more intimidator but Aaron didn't change his expression a bit. "_My_ team is searching your lab while we're talking, there's nothing you could hide."

"I hope, Anthony, they'll be prepared for what they find." As much Tony as Bruce looked each other for a second, asking themselves if they done it wrong diving the group, Tony was tempted to call Natasha in order to check if everything was going well but he knew instantly it'd be worse, they needed to seem indifferent in front of the professor. "Sorry, it's my phone." Aaron took his mobile from his pocket. **It was the time**.

* * *

The Captain was the first to enter to the building; he didn't understand why they needed to look after that place when Steve knew it for sure Shield searched it before them… He moved his hand to indicate it was safe –out of danger; but Steve realized too late Natasha and Clint were actually inside. He sighed. The lab was a dark place that stayed closed too much time, they could smell the humidity in the air and the dust conferred it a sinister atmosphere. It was empty.

"I don't think we'll find something useful here, Cap, it will be better interrogate Aaron Strauss directly." Tasha said while looked at one of the tables, it was full of papers but none of them were important enough to keep it. "Ssht." Clint stopped and Steve raised an eyebrow confused. "There's someone."

She moved quickly running through a room they didn't searched. "Mine!" Natasha pulled out a lethal gun ready to shoot the threat, Steve and Clint followed her even they knew the Widow could do it alone.

* * *

They were searching the main room, in minutes they will turn up. He leaned on the table without moving his eyes from the monitor; it was needed Aaron's signal to take the second step. Without his approbation the process could kill her and Sully couldn't risk so much. He bit his lip waiting for it, praying for everything succeeded. His heart beat faster in his chest.

Suddenly the light in the monitor turned green. He contained himself to jump with joy, it could alert the strangers. Sullivan took a giant step to get close to the metal coffin, he typed the code and the operation was finally confirmed. The cover shifted and a cold vapor involved the room.

* * *

The door opened and Natasha entered without hesitate. The agent of Shield looked directly to him, Sully could see the surprise in her eyes –maybe she was expecting to find someone like Ben, number four. "Hey." Sullivan stood up positioning himself between Tasha and the metal coffin. "I'm Jackie Chan's biggest fan; don't let me kick your ass." Natasha rolled her eyes while clicked her tongue; for the god's sake _the blond was shaking with fear_! Clint was the next one to appear in the room, he was carrying his bow, and he stopped to see the body of a young woman inside the coffin. "Look at this, 'Tasha."

* * *

Aaron finished his coffee –it wasn't too good, _what a shame_, and then stood up with the intention of leaving. Tony jumped from his sit. "Where do you think you're going, Dr. Frankenstein?" Bruce stilled being in his sit, he didn't wanted to confront the professor –he couldn't afford turning into Hulk, not with all these people around him. He took a deep breath and concentrated in the customers of the cafeteria, ignoring what was going on with Aaron and Tony. "Do you think you're funny? _Oh_, you _do_ have the same pathetic sense of humor of your father, Anthony." Aaron practically spitted the words at Tony's face with repugnance. "Stay in your _perfect_ world while you still can, Stark, 'cause I'm going to burn every piece of your happiness."

"Put yourself in the queue." Tony joked trying not to be impressed with the threat. "You're not the only one who wants my head in a stick."

Aaron leaned his head to be closer to him. "You'll see, Howard, I'm going to destroy you." Did he call him _Howard_? Tony opened his mouth in order to complain about it but with a blink of an eye Aaron disappeared from his point of view. "Howard?" Bruce asked confused. "Your father? Do you think Howard is implicated in _this_?" Tony didn't answer to him 'cause it wasn't necessary –Obviously it was because of Howard Stark. Aaron and Tony didn't meet before but the scientist felt a strong hate upon his person –ok, it wasn't the first time somebody hate him without knowing him but now was different. "Who's Lynette?" Tony moved his attention to Bruce, Aaron's phone stilled being in the table. Before disappeared he typed a name on it, wasn't an accident -Aaron was giving them a clue where to start… but why?

* * *

The warmth of being alive (and awake) was replacing the coldness of the incubator and slowly she felt the vitality returning to her body. She heard voices –unknowing voices, hits and… Sully, her friend was there. Summer opened her eyes and tried to sit herself up, her body answered better than the other day when she tried to stand up. It was needed to be quickly, that people who were fighting Sullivan maybe had the mission of killing her. She was a threat, she needed to be destroyed –couldn't afford something like that.

"Summer!" Sully shouted when the girl with the red hair smashed him against the wall. "Summer, run! Get out of here! _RUN_!" The Strauss noticed the two boys –one of them was wearing a strange blue suit (it covered the entire body of the man), she couldn't use her power in him. So there only was one possibility to escape –she had to knock down the archer. "RUN!" Summer jumped to stand up, she wasn't wearing shoes and the coldness of the ground reminds her _she was completely alive_.

Clint was in front of her now but had no intention of using his bow –Fury wanted her alive. "Don't move yourself, kiddo." Summer didn't seem a real threat –the girl was too petite and fragile… Clint only saw her sister in a couple of occasion when he was a kid, but _the hell…_ it was like looking at Lynette right now. Summer took a step forward and the Barton sighed. "Come on, don—" She was agile –more than he thought, in a blink of an eye the girl moved quickly enough to surprise him. And she was taking advantage of it. Clint skipped her hand once but it was a feint. The touch of her skin was warm and suddenly he felt a strange energy flowing inside him and couldn't avoid her eyes –_oh_, they remind him to his sister.

For the first time Sully saw the ability of Summer from another point of view. It was scary. The skin of the archer was turning too much pale and black veins appeared in his arm –where Summer was actually touching him. But the worst thing of it was his friend's eyes, so empty but at the same time she was enjoying his pain.

_Clint Barton. Hawkeye_. She knew it instantly when the memories of the man _touched_ her. _An agent of Shield_. _Nick Fury_, he was the one interested on the seven. "Lyn…" Clint moaned in pain and he felt his knees failing –couldn't find the enough energy to still standing up. "Clint!" Natasha cried out and Summer let him go to face her, Sully was in the ground next to the red hair woman moving his head no –that people weren't interested in killing her but they could change their mind. _Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow_ –she was in Clint's memories. She was dangerous and lethal enough to be a problem for her intentions of escaping. "No! I'm not gonna let you." Sully jumped on the agent trying to stop her again, they fell crashing into the ground. "RUN, PLEASE, RUN!"

She obeyed. The other man, the one with the shield, was too far to stop her –she was faster. Summer found herself running desperate to be free –no incubators, no more sleeping, no more prisons. "Stop, please!" The man with the shield shouted following her –oh, he was faster than she thought at first sight. "I'm not going to hurt you." She saw a stairs near to her, the building had at least five floors. _The height would be enough_. "Summer, please."

* * *

When the car stopped in front of the tower Tony saw her. She was carrying a file folder full of post-its where Phoebe wrote the messages for Tony –the most of them came from Pepper who was freaking out about the problems of Stark Industries. Bruce was the first to come out of the car, he saluted her with a head movement but the secretary ignored him. Her attention was centered on Tony.

"Not now, Pikachu, not now…" He begged with a tired face –the last thing he cared about was the problems of his company, Aaron occupied the most part of his thoughts. Suddenly the lights of the towel turned off when he entered. "Phoebe, come on!"

"_Tony, come on_!" Phoebe imitated his voice and crossed her arms. "You're so… inconsiderate!" Well that wasn't the words most used to describe him, Tony sighed. "Pepper is freaking me out! Do you know how many messages do you have at day? Thousands and thousands! Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony…" She imitated trying to copy all the peoples who called asking for Iron man. Tony took a step forward; Phoebe's hair was starting to send out little discharges. He thanked Pepper hadn't the ability of giving him discharges every time he disappointed her. "Tony…" This time her voice sounded distance, he couldn't see her with all the darkness… but Tony knew Phoebe was suddenly crying. "Nick wants to transfer me. Did you ask for it?" _You don't trust me anymore_? She wanted to ask him but couldn't stand for the answer.

"It's a mistake." Tony took a step to be closer to her. "No one can move you from here." He winked one of his eyes and the lights turned on.

* * *

She stopped in the fourth floor, the man was too close –he'll get her in a few meters, looking for the elevator. It was near to the stairs so it'll only take ten seconds to arrive. The doors were open showing the hole where the machine would go if there was one, Summer jumped without hesitate and held one of the cables. _Fourth floors, the height would be enough_ she thought looking down to the ground. "Why are you so colorful?" Steve stopped watching her holding the cables trying not to fall down. "Clint and Natasha wore black clothes but you… well, you wear _this_. Does that to you an easy target?" She wrinkled her forehead. "Are you from Shield…?" The answer wasn't to change anything but she felt the urge to ask him, Steve shook his head no and Summer looked down again. "I'm not going with you…" She sentenced without looking at him. "I _shouldn't_ be _here_…" Summer closed her eyes and the images returned to her. _The blood, the metal, pain, Tony Stark, the crash, the darkness…_ She moaned and her hands dropped the cable for a second –she starting falling down- but instantly held it regretting it. "I _should be_ dead…" She whispered to herself trying to be brave enough to end her mission.

"Be careful!" When Summer opened her eyes again she saw the man with the shield was trying to climb through the cables of the elevator to catch her. She blinked with confusion. He already saw what she did to his companion, it wouldn't be better if she die? "Come on, took my hand." Summer shook her head and looked down again, the fall from fourth floors it would be enough to finish her life –the pain will fade and so will be the memories of the crash. It was a quickly solution. "Summer, please, my hand."

* * *

Sully was crying out for Summer hysterical, Natasha already left him to take care of the archer and the pizza maker made his way to find Summer and Captain America. When he arrived to the fourth floor Steve was helping Summer to get out of the elevator's hole. His suit of Captain America gave him the necessary protection to not be a victim of Summer's abilities. "Sum! Are you fine?" He asked with worry and she shook her head again to say _no_. "Please, she's not dangerous… She's just… scared." Steve realized that while was talking Sully was trying to position himself between them in order to protect Summer. "Please… Leave us alone."

"I'm not here to hurt her." Steve said calmly trying to win Sully's trust; slowly the Captain put his shield on the ground. "See? I only came here to talk." Sullivan laughed with sarcasm, he didn't born yesterday. It was obviously the archer and the woman with red hair didn't come here to have a calm conversation.

"I don't trust you." The blond guy said. Summer stood up and looked directly to Steve's eyes, Sully stilled in the middle of them trying to be his shield in case she needed. "I do." Summer whispered and the pizza maker turned around to see her with confused eyes. "Wait—what?" The girl shrugged her shoulders with indifference and then she pointed the shield with one of her fingers. "He's not even carrying a weapon… He's not dangerous." Sully took her by the shoulders making sure his hands were touching the clothes to avoid her abilities. "I like the color blue."

"You're out of your mind! That's not a reason to trust him!" Sully complained –because she _liked_ the color _blue_ of _**his**_ suit! That was the shittiest reason in the world to trust a person. But Summer had made a decision and her friend knew he couldn't convince her to change her mind. Sullivan sighed with desperation turning around to see Steve again. "Ok, _Blueman_, we're going to trust you... Just one condition, Summer and I stayed together no matter what. Ok?" Steve nodded slowly. "So what's the plan, Bluie?" The blond immortal guy crossed his arm with impatient. "Ah?" Steve clicked his tongue; he hadn't _exactly_ a plan… The Captain knew it in his heart Shield wanted the seven experiments to use them like weapon –they were the new Tesseract in town. So there was only one solution. "Stay away from Shield." Sully frowned his nose; _tell that to the archer and the widow_.

"Cool, we're trying that until you show up. So any ideas?" Steve sighed, it wasn't easy. Shield had eyes in the whole town, hiding two extraordinary persons like them it wasn't exactly a piece of cake.

"Is everything okay, Cap? We need to take Clint to the hospital." They heard Natasha's voice coming from the main floor, Steve put a finger on his lips to ask for silent. Sully looked to his friend and Summer nodded, she wouldn't say a word. "Yeah, yeah." Steve answered with a tired voice. "But they escaped, I'm sorry." There was only one place out of the sigh of Shield –Tony made sure it wasn't any cameras at _his_ place: **The Stark Tower**.


	4. Incy wincy spider

Hello! :) I'm back again and sooner than I thought ;P

Before you read the chapter let me tell you something: Deanna Doyle is an original character created by my friend Mayu (MayuraPotts in and also you can find her in YT with the name of ChineseBishojo –check her videos about Dee! She's amazing!), I decided to include her because I love her character so much. –I'm open to suggestions by the way, OC are welcome to my fic! :)

[**May, 1990**]

It was the third beating in this week and all he could think about was his father's voice _and you didn't fight them back?_ Daniel was smiling with mischievous and articulated with his lips something only he could read. The bell rang announcing the break between classes, Miss Farmer looked at her watch and he wished for ten minutes more of math. "I'll see you the next week." She closed the book and a lot of students stood up to go out, but he couldn't move from his sit. "What are you waiting?" She asked taking the keys with one of her hand. "I have to close, _aah_… kid, so go out to take some air."

He was invisible; none of the professors knew his name even wasn't new at school at all. "I'm not feeling well…" He whispered trying to catch her attention, why she didn't see the bruises in his face? No one really cared about him? "The fresh air of the morning will help you." She insisted. It was a lost fight so he sighed and left the class dragging his feet.

As he thought Daniel was waiting outside for him, his friends were behind him supporting the leader. "Where were you, Bomer?" He didn't answer or move. Daniel's friends were encircling him laughing like happy and stupid monkeys. The first hit came directly to his stomach and he fell to the ground. "Come on, Bomer, fight back!" Daniel shouted showing his fists to him; he stood up feeling the pain in his belly and tried to punch Daniel in the face. But the bully was quickly enough to take advantage of his none experiences in fights. "You're such a lady!" He found himself in the ground again.

"And that's a bad thing?" A female voice asked and Daniel turned around instantly with a smile in his face. There wasn't a girl in school that couldn't resist his charms and his look of troublemaker. "Is a bad thing to be a girl?" She insisted even Daniel was trying to seduce her with his best smile. The boy in the ground sneaked a peek of her. He recognized her; she was one of the new students of his class. "No?" Daniel said and the girl crossed her arms, behind her there was a little girl who was raising her fists in order to protect her sister in case she needed. "Go away, Mister Muscles, or I'll finish you."

"Fred!" Her sister looked back to see the little girl, she shrugged her should with indifference. "He's an asshole." The bell rang again to indicate the end of the break; it was the time to go to the classes again. "See you, Bomer." Daniel said with angry totally frustrated because the fight was interrupted by the two girls. "Are you going to stay there, blondie? It doesn't seem comfortable." Winnifred asked, her sister gave her a withering look. "We're gonna be late." But she didn't seem worry about it, in fact she was smiling. "Better will be if we don't go."

There was a place where the bell-ringers usually went, under the grades of the football field the smokers and the troublemakers camped without regretting losing the classes. The Strauss sisters seemed comfortable in that circle –even one of the smokers saluted Winnie with a head movement, Sully shrank with shame feeling out of place –but anyone was looking at him like Daniel used to. "Welcome to paradise." Winifred announced opening her arms with a big smile in her face. "Now you're officially a marginalized."

"And your parents know you're not going to the classes?" He asked confused and the little sister started to laugh with sarcasm. "First of all they should start caring about us; our parents are too busy for knowing certain things." Obviously Fred was the talk-active; the other sister was quiet and avoided his eyes every time he looked at her. "What's your name, blondie?"

"Sullivan Bomer." He answered landing his head to one side. "And you are…" Fred smiled and made a reverence. "Your saviors, Lady Sullivan, but you can call us Winnie and Summer Strauss." Fred raised one of her fingers pointing directly to his nose. "And never call us Winter and Summer or I swear I'll kill you slowly."

They took a seat in front of a group of smokers who were laughing really loudly. The Strauss siblings were differently from the other girls Sully knew, they didn't ask why Daniel hated him so much. Suddenly all the sadness, all the pain of the psychological abuse and the feeling of being so alone these years collided in him; his eyes -filled with salad tears- burned like hell. Summer stood up and took the seat next to him; Winnie was avoiding his image because she didn't know what to do in that type of cases. Sully rested his head in Summer's shoulder and she hugged him trying to comfort his pain.

"_Incy wincy spider, climded up the spout…_" Fred was singing with a low voice but Sullivan could hear her perfectly. "_Down came the rain and washed the spider out…_" Summer caresses his head with tenderness; he closed his eyes and concentrated in her touch. His mother died two years ago and his father wasn't exactly the tender type, he missed being touched with love –feeling someone cared about him. "Ugh, I _**hate**_ spiders."

[**Actual day** – _Stark Tower_]

The views were magnificent; she could see the whole city through the windows. Of course she preferred to go out, feel the fresh air filling his lungs and the sun in her skin but she couldn't ask for more than that. Summer turned around to see the rest of the room, there was a comfy bed with pink sheets and a closet big enough to stock up the wardrobe of five different people. In a corner a camera was watching her in silent.

The man with the blue suit promised he wouldn't call Shield but also swore Sully and she wouldn't be separated and that was the first thing Tony did when they entered to the tower. Sullivan knew more information about what happened in Aaron's lab –_her father_ she said to herself in order to remember her own life; but Summer only had a few memories about it. It was pointless trying to interrogate her.

The door opened and she moved her eyes to that direction. "Who are you?" She asked with mistrust and stepped back prepared to attack in case she needed. "It's me." The man said confused and raised his arms in peace. Summer furrowed her brow. The man had a blond hair and a couple of blue eyes, he was wearing jeans and an old fashioned checked shirt. "You don't recognize me without the suit? I'm the _blue man_." He saw her opening her eyes with surprise but still being mistrusted about his presence. Summer turned around to see the view again. "All the windows are closed as mine?" She laid her forehead against the crystal surface, in secret Summer asked for crossing the glass to way out of the tower. "Do you think I'll try suicide again?"

Steve didn't say anything, he just stayed calm and serious near to the door trying to guess if Summer was joking or not. The girl seemed tired even she slept an entire year, Steve knew that sensation because he'd been sleeping for seventy years. "Incy wincy spider, climded up the spout…" She started to sing surprising him. "Down came the rain and washed the spider out…"

Suddenly Summer hit the window with angry –the memories were dancing in her head painfully. She remembered the coldness of her father's lab, the warm liquid in her veins that made her sleep. Aaron built a prison for her –the incubator that kept her alive- and now she found herself again in a place Summer couldn't escape. _A new prison_. Tony wouldn't let her go. She won't be able to go outside like the normal people; she was too dangerous for that. Summer knew it deep in her heart. "You're not a hero for saving me." She closed her eyes feeling the teardrops coming. "If you had been one, you would have let me fall."

Tony moved his eyes from the screen to the door even no one entered. It hadn't been a bad idea installing cameras in a couple of guest's rooms after all –but that didn't meant he was enjoying the show. He leaned back against the chair, Steve wasn't in danger he knew perfectly Summer wouldn't attack him… Also believed the Captain won't be able to get some information from her. His body shivered. The time had passed but he couldn't forget even tried really hard. Tony saw that girl dying slowly under the car, bleeding to the death in front of his eyes.

But there she was and his eyes couldn't believe what they were looking. Summer was alive and there she was in his tower like nothing happened. Something inside him shrugged suffocating him. _Was Aaron capable of bringing someone's back to the death?_ No one could do something like that –not even his own father, Howard Stark, not even Bruce or him. "Am I your prisoner?" The boy who was behind him asked while he was playing with an original screwdriver –or at least Sully thought it was one. Tony turned around to see the young man and extended a man to him to take the screwdriver away from the pizza maker. "I have nothing to tell to you." He raised his arms with peace like Steve did minutes ago. "I was there delivering a pizza, I swear… Ask my boss."

"Of course…" Stark raised one of his eyebrows while giving him a withering look. "Save that sophisticated excuse for Director Fury from Shield, he'll enjoy your story about the pizza maker who was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Sullivan made a face and crossed his arms trying to seem indifference but he was feeling so much scared about the situation. "Get with it, we're the good guys." Tony stood up looking directly to him, Sully thought his eyes seemed sad and guilty. "Sing, little dove, tell us everything you know about Aaron's plans or I'll ask her." Tony pointed the screen with one of his fingers. "And I'm not going to be a gentleman."

"_He_ said we could trust you… The man with the Shield…" Sully spoke with a flickering voice. "I didn't ask for this, I don't wanna be a _monster_… Aaron didn't tell me anything about his plans… I just—I only take care of Summer that's my mission." Tony believed him; Aaron wasn't stupid to trust his plans to a scared kid. The Stark CEO sat down again at the same time Phoebe opened the door, she jumped surprised to see Sullivan there. "Phoebs?" The blond guy opened his mouth totally shocked and she blushed instantly. "What are you doing here? Did they kidnap you?"

"In fact, I work here now." She said in a whisper and avoided his eyes to not feel too much embarrassed. Phoebe bent down to be near to Tony's ear. "You should me inform me about this things!" Sullivan frowned his forehead with mistrust; Phoebe worked a lot of time for Aaron and now she was wearing a Stark logo in her elegant suit –Number Two didn't wasted her time. "Why is he here?" Tony looked up to see Pepper's secretary; she seemed worried about everything that concerns Aaron's experiments. When her eyes catch the image the screen was offering her world crashed down, her knees shivered remembering the moment she saw Summer's abilities in the past. Her skin turned pale and she had the urge to throw up. "Please… Tony…" Phoebe whispered holding the carpet with the post-it against her trying to breathe normal. "Be careful in this."

"I have everything under control, don't worry too much." Tony smiled to her trying to fade away her fear but it didn't help at all. "Why are you here anyway, Pikachu?" Phoebe nodded her head slowly and bit her lips while she showed a note, it claimed: _Ms. Doyle is here_. "Thanks, Phoebs, let her in."

Deanna 'Dee' Doyle, or as Tony called her _D.D._, was one of the agents of Shields Coulson had at his orders. Before joining Shield, Dee had been a police who had a predilection for penalizing Tony for all the damages Iron man made in _his_ _duties_ –of course, in that time, he paid her tickets with his wonderful and magic touches that went her crazy under the sheets but now the passion was gone and Tony only had eyes and attention for Pepper. Deanna didn't get mad for that, in fact she supported him to take the step and start a relationship with the Potts. They had a unique chemistry that could be described as _Soul Bro_. Tony trusted enough in her to call her for help.

Physically Deanna had a standard height for a girl, her wavy brown hair was long enough to surpass her shoulders and she had that chocolate color in her eyes that made you lost in them. She had enough resistance to equalize Natasha and had the same shot precision with her gun as Hawkeye with his bow. Coulson had been proud of her before he died in Loki's hands. And maybe that was the reason Deanna looked so crashed down lately, under his eyes there were black rings that proof she didn't sleep really well at night –the nightmares stormed her every time D.D. closed her eyes.

"What do you want, Anthony…?" She asked with a tired voice when entered to the room. "I only came because Phoebe asked very nice and I don't wanna let her down." Tony knew that was a pathetic excuse to accept his invitation but at that point it didn't matter, she was _there_. "Who's this?" Tony didn't have to take a look to know Dee was referring to Sullivan, he was so out of place in his tower like a cat in a tiger cage. "No one, don't worry about him." Sully clicked his tongue offended but didn't say a word; he only crossed his arms and paid attention. _Who was she and why Tony asked her for help_? "I can't trust Shield right now, D.D." Deanna laughed with sarcasm, Tony didn't trust Shield at all –it wasn't exactly a _time problem_. "I need a better interrogator… Steve is trying but—well, he's Steve and she's a _girl_. Not a girl in a Natasha's way but a girl in you-know-what-way." Dee looked at him like he was speaking in a knowing language. "Let's say Steve is not a good option. And, against what I think, people said I haven't people skills." Sully nodded his head in silent. "I'd ask 'Tasha but… You're more trustable."

"_Thanks_?" Dee raised one of her eyebrows and looked at the screen; there was a girl in a room with Steve. She was obviously uncomfortable about him so he wouldn't get any information. "I'm out of service, Tony… Fury thinks I'm not capable to…—I can't be in the game again after what I did."

"He _fooled_ you." Tony said immediately to interrupt her speech. "It's not your fault Loki used you in the battle. Ask Clint, he was in the same situation as you and—"

"No, Tony, he _wasn't_!" She shouted and hit the table with her fist. "He _didn't fool_ me… I knew what he was doing and I didn't stop him! And you want to know _why_? Because **I loved him**! Okay? I loved him in the way you love Pepper." Tony bit his lips trying to shallow the words that came to his mouth, he couldn't afford making the situation worse than actually was. "I'm not trustable anymore, I'm sorry I can't help you with this." Tony took her by the arm before she could go away. "I'm not asking this to the agent Doyle. I'm asking you, Deanna, _please_. That girl is everything I have to stop Aaron Strauss." He made a pause to emphasize his desperation. "He wants my head in a stick." For the first time she smiled.

"Well, that's not a new."

[**Actual day** – _Aaron's hideout_]

Ben was a man of action so when Aaron planned hidden themselves he knew the boredom would be his worst nightmare. The scientist had no intention to show himself before Number Seven was ready to wake up, the ex-police man didn't understand his obsession with that experiment but didn't ask to not seem too much ignorant. "I have a mission for you, Four." Ben jumped in his sit and he heard Jacquelin laughing behind him but didn't care at all –there was something to do! Finally! "What's up, Boss? Do you want me to kill one of the Avengers? I can do that."

"Don't be reckless, Benjamin." Aaron complained disgusted with the man. "I need your abilities, it's necessary to find someone." Ben sighed with boredom, he could do that with a blink of his eyes… It wasn't exactly the mission he expected. "Who?" Aaron showed to him a couple of photos. "I thought you said one person…"

The first picture was obviously taken a year ago when the Avengers were formed, the _man_ of the photo was the reason they became a team. "He's an alien, right? I don't think my powers—" Then Aaron interrupted him hastily, his head was turning red because of the anger he felt for being annoyed. "Of course I know _he's an alien_, Benjamin! He came from Asgard, Loki is a god. A _**God**_! Do you understand the power of that word?" Aaron pointed the other photo with one of his fingers. "I know we can't go to Asgard and take him, Four, but there's only one scientist that can make it possible. When Thor came for the first time she _was there_, and as far as I know _**that**_ Jane Foster stills studying how to get him back." Ben looked at the photo, it was obvious that the girl in the photo wasn't exactly _Jane Foster_. "Winnifred is with her right now."

"Your daughter?" Ben asked confused, _why he didn't call her asking for help_? It would be easier… Or not. "You want me to find _**your **_daughter." He said trying to understand the complexity of the mission, Aaron moved his hand in order to affirm it and leaned back with pensive eyes. "Why do you send me to catch a _little girl_? Send Five!" Jacquelin protested immediately but Aaron stilled lost in his own thoughts, after a minute of silent Aaron looked at him. "Because Jake is going to _make a visit_ to my other kid."

[**Actual day** – _Stark Tower_]

"It's for security." Tony said while he put a couple of gloves in Dee's hand. "Avoid the touching, ok?" Dee nodded knowing he was hiding something, some information about the girl she couldn't even imagine. After what happened with the Asgardians, the Agent Doyle had a better opened mind but that didn't meant she understood everything. "No problem." Tony opened the door for her and she entered without hesitate. Steve was with his back to Dee so couldn't see his expression at all but she noticed immediately the tension between them. The Captain was trying to be friendly with the girl in order to gain her trust but she was looking at him like he was the bogeyman. "It's my turn, Cap, just take a break."

Steve turned around surprised to hear Dee's voice, he smiled instantly and his eyes expressed how thankful he was to be replaced. Summer followed him with her eyes until the Captain abandoned the room. "He's really… big." The Strauss said quickly and faced Dee with caution, the agent was following Steve's method and stayed away from the girl. "And weird but I like his blue suit." She added in a whisper.

"Do you want to go out from here? It's really stressful feeling yourself prisoned in these four walls… What do you think?" Instantly Dee saw the excitement in her eyes, she was begging for a walk outside this room. "Cool." With her hands in her hips Deanna looked around not sure where to talk. "Jarvis, please, tell Tony we're going to go for a walk. Ok? _Oh_, and inform him he can't oppose to this."

The message came instantly to the Magnate who wrinkled his nose; he wasn't the type of people who's okay with the orders –in particular with the dangerous one for his friends, Dee didn't know who had by her side. Sullivan yawned tired of being useless, he secretly wished for a warm bath and a long sleep. "Stark." Tony jumped in his sit surprised and astonished when the voice of Natasha came stealthily. "Director Fury wants to see you." The red hair woman announced and when Tony turned around he saw her standing up in front of the door with her arms crossed. Sully noticed her withering look; he wasn't _her cup of tea_. "Maybe he wants to know why are you giving shelter to Aaron's experiments without his knowledge."

"Or maybe he wants to ask me which shampoo I'm currently using." Natasha wasn't in the mood for jokes, she stilled worried for Clint who was in the hospital recovering after what happened with Summer's abilities.

Summer was running through the corridors without caring where they ended, the most important thing for her was the feeling of being free to run wherever she wanted. When she was going too far from Dee, the girl stopped -waiting for the agent- then when Deanna showed herself she started to run again. They went over a couple of floors of the tower until finally got back where her room was installed. Deanna told her where we're going now and Summer followed her instructions without complaining. "Sully!" She exclaimed when Dee opened one of the doors in front of here, the boy was sitting in one of the chair with a bored face trying not to fall sleep. "This tower is _**amazing**_!" The blond guy stood up instantly and looked to Steve in order to ask for permission to get close to her, he nodded with a serious expression. "I saw a lab in the eleventh floor! It's bigger than father's." Steve and Dee looked at each other, it was the first time Summer talked about Aaron. Sully moved his arms hysterical and shushed her, _don't say anything_ he tried to said with his eyes but Summer was too excited to shut up. "But it was cold as well."

Suddenly the security alarm was activated by Jarvis warning them someone entered to the Stark Tower without permission –plus it wasn't someone they met before. The electric majordomo informed about the situation while Dee pulled her gun out prepared for the action. "I'm going to take a look." She said decided to go out but Steve reached her with a worried eyes. "Come on, Cap, it's nothing I can't handle…" Dee whispered trying to avoid her own emotion, _he wasn't trusting her, he thought she was weak_. "Someone needs to look forward the kids, ah?" Summer stepped back trying to hide herself behind the monitor of the cameras, she covered her ears with her hands and started to whisper to herself. Sully was standing up next to her shivering with fear.

"She's coming! She's getting close!" She cried out and Sullivan bended down to make sure his friend was okay, but Summer seemed out of her mind again. "Oh, she's so quickly you wouldn't see her coming! Whispering… Whispering…" Dee sighed and took a step back to go away to see with her own eyes what was happening, but then Summer moved her hands to stop her. "N—!" She shut up instantly. Deana was fast and with a blink of an eye she was aiming Summer with her gun. "Shoot me."

Dee took down her weapon realizing she had been near to shoot the Strauss girl because her survival instincts told her. With a quickly look she inform Steve her plans –the agents was going to investigate why the security alarm had been activated. The Captain sighed and looked his two protégées: Summer was hiding behind the monitor without moving and Sullivan was by her side maybe too scared to react. He wasn't a soldier; the blond guy was just a pizza maker who had the bad luck to be the friend of the daughter of a mad scientist. Steve was too concentrated in his own thoughts and when the sound of a shooting involved the room he jumped with surprise. His hearth started to beat faster. What if someone shot Dee? Maybe she was needing help. Oh, Tony was going to kill him. "Stay here! Don't move!" Sullivan looked at him horrified; _he was leaving them without protection_?

Number Three trembled when he heard steps coming. Sullivan took a breath trying to calm himself and got ready to kick some assess in case it was needed –his weapon was a chair he barely could hold. A shaped of a man was all he could see when the door opened and someone shot him, Sullivan fell down. _Dead_. Summer stood up in a jump crying out.

Dee was alive. Steve found her in the lower floor next to a dead body of a police man, she was trying to find something about the attacker –his ID or his badge, but he didn't carry anything with him but a gun. "What are you doing here, Steven?" She complained looking at him like he was mad. "I told you I could handle this! _Oh god_! What happens with you, man?"

"I thought you needed help… _Uh_…" He whispered feeling a little bit pathetic. Now the two experiments were alone and at the mercy of the intruders. They ran out without thinking it twice, maybe it wasn't too late.

"Hey! You better stop." Deanna shouted pulling her gun out. A man was taking Summer by the arm –he was very careful avoiding her skin, touching her only where her peel was covered by her clothes. It was a police man again and he was smiling even they catch him with the hands in the cookie jar. "Are you going to shot this innocent man, agent Doyle? Because this time I'm going to put you easily." The man let Summer go and raised his arms with peace, his mouth was talking but the message came from another person. "I'm waiting for you, Avengers, we're going to have so much fun!" The police man winked one of his eyes with mischievous and turned around to see Summer who was trembling against the wall. "Your father says _hi_, Six." And then his eyes looked directly to Steve. "And _Seven_ sends you his pardon, he can't see you now but promises you're going to see him soon." He laughed madly and then he fell down unconscious.

"I thought it was impossible… But the world stilled surprising me." The Captain said but Dee had no words for him. "Are you okay…?" He asked to Summer and she nodded instantly, her hand touched the place where the man took her by the arm. "You knew this was going to happen… Why? Who made this?" Summer wasn't looking him, her eyes flew open horrified. "Sully is dead…" She whispered and Steve wrinkled his nose. "He's not… You don't remember Sully is immortal?"

"_What_?" The girl was certainly confused. "What do you mean with _immortal_?" Steve shook his head and tried to explain what Aaron did to the boy, Summer shivered falling down to the ground feeling her knees failing. "Why he would do that?" Then a burst of memories crossed her brain painfully. _A crash car. The savor of the blood in her mouth. The darkness. Tony_. "_**No**_!" She cried out trying to escaping from her own memories –maybe the only ones she got from herself, the others came from Sullivan when she used her abilities in him. "_LEAVE ME_! Tell them to leave! Please! _**Please**_!" Summer was freaking out again abandoning herself into the madness, Steve grabbed her by the shoulders trying to calm her. "No! No! Don't touch me! LEAVE ME! You're going to hurt me again! I don't want to sleep! No! No!"

"_Own came the rain and washed the spider out._" Dee looked at Steve surprised and her mouth flew opened with surprise. He _**was singing**_. Summer shut up instantly when she heard the song. "_Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…_"

"_And the Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout again…_" Steve felt she was relaxing herself. The song was helping –he couldn't believe it! Just with a song she turned to _normality_. "Winnifred…" She whispered lowly but Steve could hear her perfectly. Summer caressed Steve's forearm with an empty eyes –her mind was in another site. He could feel her even was wearing a shirt. His cheeks blushed. "She's the voice in your head, the whisper in your mind… My father created seven, she's the number five. Jake can control someone just with one thought."

"Thank you." Steve helped Summer to stand up and she nodded when he expressed his gratitude.


	5. Do you fondue?

**S**orry for the last but I had a crazy weeks and no time for writing! Haha. Thanks a lot to L. , Kit-cat99 and OneWhoCharms for the reviews! I really appreciate them and cheer me up to continue this fic! :D And of course thanks to the people whose following the story :3

* * *

[**July, 1973.**]

When Aaron held his daughter for the first time his eyes filled of tears of joy. She was petite, fragile, _his_. The little baby yawned exhausted, for her the birth had supposed a lot of work and now she needed to take some rest. He rocked her in his arms; it was like holding a piece of glass. So fragile he had to use his five senses to be careful to not bother her. The baby was sleeping calmly; Aaron could feel her weight and her warm. She was perfect.

"Put her in the crib." Lynette said and turned around to see his wife, he couldn't even imagine leaving the baby away from him. "Aaron, we need to talk." Her hair was a mess and he knew she was too exhausted to pretend to be energized. As the baby, Lynete should rest to recover from the birth. "Later, now sleep… I'll take care of her." Her eyes begged for some sleep but she tried to stay awake, her obstinacy was one of her gift after all.

"Aaron, please." He watched again his daughter, the baby was frowning her forehead. Maybe they were disturbing her rest. "Put her in the crib." Lynette insisted and Aaron obeyed even his heart told him not to do. He had the sensation that leaving the baby in the crib will mean renouncing to her forever, but the Strauss did it anyway because there wasn't another option. "I'm not going to pretend you don't know about Howard, Aaron, and I'm not going to say sorry for that." Lynette was laying in the bed of the hospital with one of that hideous nightshirt the nurses offered to her -the garment couldn't be less sexy, after eight hours of giving birth her child the last think she wanted was having that conversation with her husband… But it was the time. "And because I love you I think you must know the truth."

"I don't care, Lyn." He advanced to her avoiding Lynette's eyes concentrating only in his child. But of course he cared about it. Not because he felt betrayed about being the husband you'll marry because the man you loved is married to another woman, _**no**_, he could handle that. Aaron loved Lynette with all his heart; he loved her enough to let her go if she would ask for it. The reason of his hurt was she hadn't told about her affair with Howard until now –she couldn't imagine the pain of seeing the person that you love with another without expecting it. "I don't care." He repeated again hoping for her silent.

"Aaron… She's not yours." And her voice crossed him like a knife. _She's lying again_ his thoughts said to him in whispers and he wanted to trust them but was impossible. "You don't know that…"

"Oh, please, Aaron." She said rudely. "I won't believe you're stupid." In another context he would swear she turned him into a stupid lover –he would jump through that window if she says it; but now Aaron felt hopeless and too much hurt to reply her. "You're a good man… I'm sorry that you met me, you deserved better." Lynette was talking but he couldn't hear a word, his world reduced to that little baby who had wake up –oh, she has her mother's eyes.

"He won't accept her as his bastard." The baby raised his little hands reaching for him, he couldn't help but held her again. She fit perfectly in his arms –like they were mean to hold her forever, and the little girl closed her eyes again feeling protected in his father's arms. "Don't worry, Summer, I'm never going to leave you… You're my favorite thing."

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Shield_]

Pretending he didn't know what happened with Number Three and Number Six wouldn't help him to leave the place without punishment. Director Fury wasn't stupid enough to fool him with his lies, after all _the pirate_ was the _**spy**_. Nothing happens without his knowledge. "I hope you're taking this problem with seriousness, Stark." Tony saw him, pretending to be offended, _when he joked about it_? –Probably every day. Fury sat down in front of him, his one eye was looking directly to him and Tony felt uncomfortable. "I know you have the girl."

"You're not her type." The director wasn't in the mood for comments out of place so he ignored it completely. "She's dangerous, can't be controlled. Even her father sedated her in order to prevent more injuries. So…"

"Her brain has been turned off for hours, director." Tony interrupted him before the spy could propose a radical solution. "The absence of oxygen and neuronal activity had damaged the organ BUT" He added before Fury said anything about it. "now it's working perfectly. It _works_ but it's _empty_. It's like the brain of a baby… So full of possibilities… Summer will become stabilized, she only needs time." Fury was listening him in silent without the intention of interrupt him, he seemed pleased with his words. "What I'm worried about is her lack of morality, no one taught her what is wrong and what is right. The only thing she knows is his father locked her in a lab and now I had her prisoner in a tower, what would happen if someone shows her freedom? Her abilities are in a balance, for us or for Aaron's team… Or maybe another, who knows." Suddenly Fury smiled surprising Tony –a shiver went across his spine.

"I'm glad you understand it clearly, Stark." He said laying back. "And thanks for volunteer for it." Tony looked at him with confusion. "You already adopted her now can't regret it." He moved his hands with distraction, Tony face's expression was the meaning of the horror. "Come on, I don't believe it would suppose a problem to you, the fabulous Tony Stark. You only have to take care of a crazy girl, it's a piece of cake to you!" Then his expression turned serious –or even angry as usual. "Show her the good way, don't corrupt her mind."

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Stark tower_]

Steve was assigned as the baby sitter of the experiments by Tony, who found it inevitably funny because the man out of time wasn't exactly the most indicated for the work –Steve barely knew it how the toaster worked so taking care of a crazy girl and an insufferable pizza maker it would be an interesting adventure for the soldier (Jarvis was filming everything in order to watch it later, he needed desperately to laugh). What Tony didn't know was Three and Six were really quiet that morning. Sully asked Dee for a couple of things –to have his baby back (an old camera he inherited from his grandpa) and a box he left at Aaron's lab, and the ex-police brought it to him two hours later. "They're in the room for hours." Steve murmured –maybe to himself but enough loud Dee could hear him. "I should take a look."

"Leave the kids alone, Cap, they're just having fun." Dee smiled when Steve looked at her horrified. Sully had covered the camera of the room with a sheet so they couldn't actually seeing what was happening in Summer's room, Dee trusted in them enough to not care about that detail but the soldier was freaking out. "_Fun_? What do you mean with _that_?" Dee rolled her eyes and sighed, she wasn't meaning what Steve was thinking but the Captain went out before she could explain herself.

When he found himself in front of the door Steve stopped before open it. Maybe he was _overreacting_. Sullivan and Summer were adults and the times had changed a lot since his age, he shouldn't be interrupting _their actions_. "You don't remember her either?" The soldier heard Sully's voice through the door; he was talking with normal –no moaning. "You're joking. Come on, it's…!"

"I don't!" Summer replied frustrated. Steve finally opened the door with caution, he found an unexpected situation: Sullivan was nailing photographs in the wall with a little box under each one with the name of the person, Summer was watching him biting her nails in desperation. "These people are completely strangers for me, are you sure I know them?" Sullivan looked at her with obviousness, of course she _knew_ them –why the hell she couldn't recognized her own sister or her aunt? For a moment Steve thought he was invisible, none of the two experiments were paying attention to him, they were concentrated in their private task.

"But you saw them in my memories!" Sullivan argued pointing at Judith's photograph, Summer looked at the woman –her green eyes weren't familiar, she didn't mean anything to her. "This is shit." Then Sullivan moved his eyes to Steve and sighed, with his checks blushed he looked at the camera. "Yeah… Sorry about that… But I feel uncomfortable with that thing." Summer was concentrated in the wall trying to remember memories that couldn't be returned. "What are you doing?" Steve asked curious and Sully rolled his eyes trying to choice between trusting him or not –the soldier out of time had helped them so much but he couldn't forget the Captain belonged to Shield's team after all.

"Amm…" Sullivan hesitated before showed Steve the photos he was actually holding. "I took those before Summer had the accident. I love photography; it's my kind of hobby." Steve took a look of them, they were really amazing and instantly saw the boy had a talent for it. He stopped in one of the photos. Summer was smiling without posing while she was putting a ballet shoes in her feet, _oh_, _she was radiant_. "Did you dance?" Summer turned around to see him, her eyes blinked confused and shrugged her shoulders to answer him. "She was the best ballet dancer I ever met." Sully said with a proud smile on his face and Steve felt uncomfortable with that. Sullivan was a good guy but he was auto-proclaiming himself the master of the information about Summer's life, and maybe it was true… But he was so protector about Six no one was allowed to _know her_. "But she doesn't remember and that's the problem." He complained and stole the photo from Steve's hands. "She absorbed my memories before Aaron sedated her but… now they're fading out."

"What do you mean? They're not permanent?" Summer said no with her head without caring at all, she was looking at him directly forgetting the wall behind her. "But the recent memories are staying." Summer said before Sullivan talked again for her. "I remember Tony, Bruce, Dee… _**you**_." Three coughed to catch her attention; Summer rolled her eyes to him. "And, of course, Sullivan." His friend smiled like he was the only name on the list. "I don't think this is my life now, I'm not that Summer anymore." The photos fell from Sully's hands to the ground, the blond guy was looking at her confused, sad, his eyes begged for his negation.

"Of course you are, you're _my_ Summer." His voice broke when tried to convince her she was wrong, but the girl avoided his eyes in order to not hurt him. The wall was full of memories he captured among the years: the first Christmas the Strauss's invited him to their home, Aaron smiling with his two daughters in Thanks Giving, the celebration about Judith's miracle healing, Winnifred with her first microscope, even he putted a photo of Summer and Ben when they were dating years ago. "I'm sorry." Steve wanted to ask some things to Summer but Sullivan went out of the room, he followed him to make sure the pizza maker was okay. He wasn't.

"Bomer…" Steve held him by the arm when they were enough far from the room, Sully resisted but finally turned back. His eyes held back the incipient tears, trying to seem stronger than he actually was. "What's wrong, kid?"

"You can't understand." Steve sighed and his eyes showed for the first time the sadness of being apart from his age, of course he knew what was knowing that their friends will never come back. He missed Bucky every day he felt loneliness in that time, alone, out of place, not belonged to anywhere. "I understand more than you think." Sully moved his head in negation and crossed his arms. "I lost the person I trusted the most. My friend helped me to win the war but I couldn't keep him safe." Steve explained to him how Bucky fell because of him, there wasn't a day he didn't blame himself for that. Sullivan seemed not paying attention to his story but when he ended to talk the pizza maker started to cry.

"She's never coming back, right? The girl I knew is gone, the secrets, the moments we shared… They're _**gone**_! Summer is gone! _My_ Summer is gone!"

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Memorial Hospital_]

Before Alex could enter to the room she saw him in the waiting room, he was mimicking one of the old nurses –who had filthy mood- and all the kids were laughing forgetting for a moment why there were at the hospital. The doctor smiled. Maybe he wouldn't admit it but had a special touch with the kids. "Hey!" She called him trying to catch his attention but the archer was too distracted with the little patients. Suddenly he stopped, looking up with an empty eyes –Alex saw before that expression in him, it wasn't good news; he fell down to the ground and the kids cried out scared. "Stay away!" She demanded running to the waiting room. The children obeyed and went back. "Hey, open your eyes."

Clint had his eyes closed and his body was too rigid, his muscles tensed while his hands closed into fist. She took the lantern from her pocket and opened his eyelids to inspect the pupils, they were too dilated. "Clint, come on." She whispered praying to herself, one of the nurses took the phone to call the beeper of stoppage but before she could do it the archer opened his eyes like nothing happened. "It's been a long time since I had you on the top."

"You're fine, _Mister Barton_, clearly your capacity for being an asshole is not damaged." Clint smiled to her but his eyes reflected the worry on his mind. The consequences of being the victim of Summer's abilities wasn't fading away as he expected; sometimes he felt his life was going away and then suddenly fall in the unconsciousness. Alex couldn't find an explanation for it, the tests she made to him were fine –couldn't explain why he was suffering those 'crisis'. "If everything is fine I want to catch up on the team."

"You know that's not possible." Alex walked with him –leaving the worried kids behind them. "What if you suffer one of these episodes in the middle of a mission?" Clint shrugged his shoulders like nothing mattered but his mind couldn't stop thinking on that possibility –if the effects aren't irreversible Fury won't let him being part of the team and god knew he wasn't exactly the type of a man behind a desk working on all that shitty formularies Shield had. It had to be a solution. "I need to get out of here." He said opening the door of his room, Alex sighed saying no with her head.

"I don't mind about _what you need_, Barton, as your doctor-" But he wasn't listening at all. The doctor wanted to complain about his behavior but then the archer took off his clothes in order to put his agent outfit again –Her eyes flew being unable to blink, she didn't want to lose the opportunity to appreciate that perfect torso one more time. "_Amm_…" But as far as her lust filled her veins, the memories of her broken heart resounded on her head reminding how he left her years ago –his best friend disappeared without any intention of being on touch, she had her reasons to be angry with him. "As I said, you should take some rest."

"I have to find Lynette, she'll know how to fix this."

"Wait, _what_?" He was ready to go –even was carrying his bow but he covered with a jacket to not arouse suspicious, after all they were in a hospital he had to be careful; Alex ran to put herself in the middle of his way, barring the exit. "Who's Lynette? Why are you going to trust her? Maybe I don't know what's going on but I'll find out, I swear. _Trust __**me**_." That name was constantly in Clint's lips since he came back from New York and Alex never had the opportunity to ask until now. She needed that information –why he trusted that woman before trusting her? Maybe they had lost the touch for years, but a friendship like they had never fade away; and she needed **now **the information. "Who is Lynette?" She asked again with fierce eyes.

He doubted for a seconds –of course Clint trusted in the doctor enough to put his life in her hands, but giving her that kind of information may put her in danger. And he couldn't afford something like this. "Forget it, forget that name." His voice begged even he pretended to sound authoritarian instead. "No." She answered instantly and don't move a millimeter. "Who's Lynette?"

"My sister." The words escaped from his mouth like an exhalation of air, Alex blinked confused. "You _don't_ have a sister." Her eyebrow raised –she couldn't believe he was _lying_ again to her, why it was so complicated? The only thing she wanted was the truth. "Are you an expert of my family, Miss Reid?" He mocked smiling just a little bit –but that expression faded away instantly when he continued talking. "Lynette Rosemarie Barton is my half-sister, my father got divorced before I was born… She's—well, it's complicated."

"How much complicated?" Dr. Reid demanded, she knew him enough to see Clint was hiding something important.

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Midtown High School_]

She got a C+ in science. Not bad. Her sacrifice for being unperceived was going pretty well. The professors cataloged her as the normal student who doesn't stand out on anything, she didn't mind feeling invisible –abandoning Jane Foster's lab was the best decision ever done, after what happened in New York no one was save. The Tesseract was exposed to the humanity and it was a powerful weapon to ignore it, how many objects like this one the Asgardians possessed? _Oh_. _The curiosity kills the cat, Winnie_. She thought to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the fire alarm. The professor jumped in his sit totally shocked. "It's not a simulation!" He shouted scared and instantly went to open the door of the class, the students ran out trying to save their lives before the fire could catch them. But anything was burning, anything but the frustration in her. "It's been a long time, Winnie Minnie."

No one stopped to ask her why she was standing inside the class. No one turned around to take her away from the imaginary flames. No one really cared. Winnifred stayed sitting in her chair without caring about the fire alarm –she knew before anyone that was a false alarm. "I suppose my father is sending you after me." The little Strauss said calmly looking at him without seemed scared or confused; Benjamin clicked his tongue a little bit disappointed –at least he expected some reaction, but the girl was quiet undisturbed. He hated her and also his pathetic mission. "You supposed well."

"Okay then, I'm going with you." She stood up instantly. "I'm putting you easily so at least carry my bag, ah?" Ben gave her a withering look but swallowed his words, Winnifred was right. The mission was complete, maybe in a boring way but the objective was done; he was taking the girl back home –with his daddy. He bowed down to carry the bag –it was heavier than thought at first look, for sure was filled with books or _maybe stones_; and Winnifred took advantage of it. She pushed him violently and without wasting time ran out of the class, the hours she spent memorizing the plans of the high school wasn't in vain after all –now she had advantage over him because Ben didn't know the place at all.

The principal exists were collapsed by the students and professor that were trying to escape from the _fire_. She had to find another way. "I'm coming for you, Winnie Minnie." Ben shouted following her. There wasn't a place to hide, not with his abilities –the providence helped him to find her anywhere, there wasn't a safe place. "_**I'm coming!**_"

Winnifred found herself in the gym while tried to reach her mobile phone from her pocket. The number was memorized in her brain like burning fire and two seconds later her rescue was picking the call. "As you predicted, he's here –Number Four." She said trying to hold back her fear –but her voice broke in the moment Ben opened the doors carrying a gun with him. "Alright, Winnie Minnie, if we can't be friends…" The police man who dated once her sister was totally gone –his eyes were open in a way it scared her, he had the look of a mental patient. "Your father wanted you alive, but he didn't say anything about your legs. _Right_? Just a bullet… It'll hurt enough to stop you from escaping, _ah_?"

But before he could shot, an arrow passed caressing his hand. "You _fucking_ fail!" Winnifred shouted pointing at Benjamin and when he turned around to see what was happening, the little Strauss pushed him again. Ben rolled through the ground and the gun fell from his hand –away from him. "You better not stand up, Four." The ex-police man looked up to appreciate a girl he never met before. She was around Winnifred's age but her wavy hair was golden and had fierce blue eyes capable of killing him with another arrow shot. "We're leaving." The blond girl say to the brunette, Winnifred raised her eyebrow looking at Benjamin. "Don't worry about him, he won't follow us. Right, Bennie?" Number Four grumbled in answer. "Tell your boss I'm back."

"And who are you, sweetie?" Benjamin asked with sarcasm without moving from the ground because an arrow was directly pointed at his head. "I'm your worst nightmare, _love_." She made a pause and when was sure Winnie was out of the gym, she continued. "Riley's the name."

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Stark tower_]

"I have to go… Tony's on his way, he wouldn't late." Steve excused himself and the two experiments looking at him instantly. After two hours of crying and explaining all his frustration, the pizza maker was calm and behaved like nothing happened –so Steve pretended his head wasn't going to explode after listening him without any stop. "See you tomorrow." Summer said to him and concentrated again in Sullivan's photos –she was doing a truly effort trying to remember everything her brain forgot. Sometimes she flew her eyes like something crossed her mind but then ended admitting nothing stayed in her memory for so long to remember what was. "Bye, Cap." Sully said goodbye to him and Steve had the sensation the blond guy was expecting for having some time alone with Summer.

"Can I ask you a question?" Three shrugged his shoulders indifferent, at that point it didn't matter _another question_. "Are you- Are you two—_Do you fondue_?" _Oh_, he needed to be braver –how many years would pass before he could ask normally that question? Summer blinked confused, she didn't get the message of the asking. Sully was pensive like he was trying to remember something very far. "I think… _Yeah_, one time we _did_ a fondue at Jenny's party, right?" Sully asked to his friend and seconds later realized she couldn't answer that question –she didn't remember Jenny either. "You know, cheese… bread… It was delicious. That girl was a bitch but she cooked like angels." Steve couldn't do anything but smile, in one way or another they were too innocent to catch the hidden message of his words. "Why did you ask? There's a fondue for dinner? That would be cool."

* * *

[**Actual day** – _Aaron_]

"She said her name was Riley, boss." Ben murmured but Aaron heard him clearly. _She's alive_ –but why she wouldn't be? After all Captain America was too (like years didn't pass for him). Benjamin expected a reprimand from his boss, but the scientist seemed excited and impatient. Now the game was on with all the soldiers on the board. "I can try again to take Winnifred back…"

"No, forget her." Aaron interrupted him and turned back to see Four with a big smile on his face, his eyes shined with madness. "Jake." _Five again_, Ben thought to himself and clicked his tongue. It was clearly the scientist trusted more in her than him. The girl entered to the room in a blink of an eye –she was listening the conversation thanks to her ability of reading minds. "I have a work for you."

"What do you need?" She asked ready for anything. Aaron smiled knowing his time arrived, now was the time of showing his cards. The Avengers will tremble falling at his knees. "I understand." Ben looked at her with angry, she only needed to read Aaron's mind to know what he needed from her. It was unfair. "Don't worry, Four, he had a task for you too."


	6. The dancer

**Large chapter! :) Thank you so much for all the reviews! I already have 19 and I'm just shocked (In a good way)! I thought no one was interested in this story and I'm so glad for the feedback, it cheers me up to write!**

**A scene from this chapter belongs to Mayu (Mayura Potts), who wrote it in Spanish in a one shot and I decided to include it in the fic because it's amazing and I loved it so much. If you don't know it, the OC of Deanna belonged to her and I hope you adore her as much as I do.**

**Anyway, I'm including another original character (if you follow my videos maybe you'll recognize her, her name is Riley and she's portrayed by Leven Rambin –I'm thinking to write a fic for her because her story it's too much complicated to include it in here, Idk, I'll think about it. Someone's interested by the way?)**

* * *

[_Germany_, **November 1944**]

He woke up the moment someone touched his shoulder. The eyes flew open trying to focus on something; the first thing he could see was a vague face upon him. "Aaron… Aaron." A voice shouted his name but it seemed very far to him, the eyes blinked confused. There was peace in his sleep, now he was awake he could feel the pain through his body. "Come on, soldier." A woman –no, _a girl,_ he corrected himself. A couple of blue eyes were looking at him with worry and desperation, she was calling his name to make him react but all he could do was looking at her confused. She was an angel –with her blue eyes and her golden wavy hair.

"Am I dead?" Aaron whispered and the girl laughed with sarcasm.

"Not yet, soldier." She answered rude. The angels _weren't_ rude –or at least that was her mother said to him at the church.

He tried to sit up with the girl's help and instantly a painful shiver went across his spine. The memories of what happened before the awaking returned to him in flashed: They were in Germany trying to find another Hydra's hideout when someone shouted his name –_maybe Steve?_ Then the explosion trapped him inside the old warehouse and five followers of Hydra fell over him. They didn't kill him as he thought it would happen, _no_, Red Skull had another plans for him.

"Are you okay? You're looking… paler." The girl broke his thoughts and he nodded slowly. His torso was full of dry blood but there wasn't a wound on his skin. "What happened to you?" The blond wanted to know and her eyes rolled to the table next to them. It was full of surgical instruments covered in blood –maybe his blood? He couldn't say… That part of his memories was missing.

"I don't know." Aaron murmured and with her help he stood up. His legs answered well when tried to walk, with every movement he felt better and better -Actually _too much_ better. Before they left the room he turned back to see the table again and a question resounded in his head: _Why? Why him?_ "Who are you by the way? You look very young to be… _amm_… a soldier." Aaron leaned on her to run faster –she was stronger than he thought at first sight.

"I'm Riley." She answered like those words were sufficient to understand was going on. "Bow your head!" The girl pushed him away and before Aaron could realize what happened an enemy fell dead at the end of the corridor. "They know _we_'re here!"

"_We_?" Riley was carrying a bow –what original weapon to wear in a war where the soldiers carried powerful guns and grenades. "Give me a gun or something!" Aaron asked when a couple of German soldiers appeared with no good intentions. Riley looked at him. Her eyes showed her mistrust. She didn't trust him at all to give him a weapon. "You'll need support!" It only took three seconds to her to kill the two men.

"I don't think so."

They had to be quicker to escape from there alive. Even she was younger than him the girl had a better training –she was faster, stronger and she was extraordinary lethal with the bow. "Are you from the army?" Aaron asked when they stopped in a safe zone –he needed to catch some breath before they could continue with the escape. "I don't think they accept children…"

"I'm eighteen years old." She complained giving him a withering look totally offended. "But no, I'm not from the army. _Well_, not the army you know." Aaron blinked confused, the girl was hiding too much secrets.

"And your parents are okay with _this_?" He pointed at her bow. For the first time Aaron realized what she was wearing. It wasn't a uniform of a soldier. Her clothes were mostly black but in the sleeves of the shirt there was an eagle colored in red and inside of it there was the American flag painted in white.

"My parents are dead." She answered with fierce eyes and Aaron knew instantly he mustn't bring up that topic. "Come on, we need to move." But before he could do anything, she stopped him putting a hand in his chest. "I trust you." She was offering him a little knife with her free hand –_well_, Aaron thought, _it was a start_. "I know you're a good person."

Bucky was waiting outside shooting anyone with the intention of entering the place. "Good to see you're alive, Strauss!" He smiled to him but his eyes showed a different emotion –they we're looking directly to the dry blood with mistrust. "I counted eight sons of a bitch." Bucky leaned his head to point the dead bodies in the ground.

"Bad for you, I counted ten." Aaron shrugged his shoulders when the soldier looked at him trying to confirm if the information was true or not –it could be eight, ten, thousands… He wasn't counting; his recent missing memories worried him too much. "I win, Barnes." She smiled with triumph and he grumped while tried to mess up the braids of her hair –she always putted up this way, two braids of golden hair like her mother used to do to her. "Stop! Stop!" She begged laughing and trying to escape from his _evil_ hands, Bucky finally messed up one of the braids but the other resisted.

"Don't go away; this is your reward for winning! You-" But then his eyes catch the silhouette of a person coming, so he shut up like nothing happened –Riley tried to braid her hair again. "Here comes the party man."

"I'm glad you're alive, soldier." Aaron nodded when Steve stopped in front of him; he was wearing his Captain America suit and carrying his shield with his left hand.

"Thanks for coming for me…" Aaron whispered knowing it was his fault he ended in the enemy's hands, he entered to the warehouse without his Captain permission.

"Every man counts for me, Strauss." And his eyes rolled instantly to the girl, even though Riley was trying to cover herself behind Bucky's Steve could see her perfectly. "I thought I was very clearly when I told to you to go home, kiddo."

"Yeah, you _were_." Riley complained remembering their conversation –it hadn't been a good start. "But—"

"**No**." He interrupted her with authority. "You _must_ go home, Riley."

"That's what I _**want**_ but I don't know _how_!" Riley cried out with desperation trying to convince him to change his mind. If he threw her out, she wouldn't know where to go. "Without Tess I can't go home by my own."

"I don't want to interrupt you but…" Steve looked at his best friend; Bucky was pointing the place where Aaron used to be. "Where's Strauss?"

* * *

[_Stark Tower_, **Actual day**]

"The walls are coming closer!" Summer was shouting loudly while taking down the photographs Sullivan putted in the wall for her. "You have to understand I'll not remember any of this! _Agh_! This is so… Useless!" Sully was looking at her in silent trying to convince himself that Summer wasn't saying that mean words seriously –she was suffocated for being _prisoned_ in the tower. Tony gave him the permission to go away; he could walk across the streets of New York without caring someone will recognize him. But Summer had to be in there for the rest of her life –for the civilization she was dead, she died the day of the car crash.

"Just calm down…" She gave him a withering look when he talked. Sully sighed and tried to think how to convince Tony it was safe for Summer to go away from the tower –a little walk wouldn't kill anyone, right? "Why you don't ask _the blue man _for help? Maybe he can talk to Tony and—"

"And that's a crappy idea." Summer was collecting all the photos and putting them back to the box, Sully landed his head to the right.

"_Why_? I think he likes you." The girl laughed with sarcasm and sat down near to him.

"Or maybe **he** likes _you_."

"I wish." Summer smiled to him when Sully licked his lips with lust. "What? He's cute, don't say he's not." She shrugged her shoulders with indifference but her mind was remembering his lovely face –he had beautiful eyes to lose you in them, his cheeks used to blush a lot every time Sully made lust commentary about anything and his lips… She was wondering how they will taste. But that will be impossible to know; now she was out of touch because of her _new gift_.

"Ok, He's cute, that doesn't mean anything."

"Oh, come on!" Sully smiled mischievous and got closer to her. "It doesn't mean anything he trusted you even you're… _you_? Even your father didn't trust you, Summer, but he _**did**_. Ask yourself why."

"Because he's _**Captain America**_!" Summer stood up and putter the hands on her hips. "Don't mess the things up, Sullivan."

"I'm not messing anything, Sum'! It's not just his unbelievable trust in you. You didn't see how he looked at me every time I talk about you? It's the personification of the jealously. I think he thinks we're a couple." Sully whispered the last thing very confused, he wasn't used to people looked at them like they were lovers –they usually notice he wasn't after the opposite gender. "Do I look straight?"

"_What_?" Summer flew her eyes –why he wouldn't think _that_ about them? Why he wouldn't _care_ if they were a couple or not? _Stupid Sullivan_, he was messing with her head _again_. He used to do that things a lot after she broke up with Benjamin years ago –looking for a new boyfriend to her everywhere they went.

_Wait_. Benjamin Scott. She remembered him. _How_? And not just him. She remembered Sully's past attempts to find her a couple.

"Talking of the devil…" Sully whispered when Steve entered to the room they were occupying. Summer avoided his image feeling too ashamed to look at him right now. "What are you doing here, Stevie?" Sully asked to the Captain with a big smile in his face. "Maybe searching for _your other half_?"

"What…?" Steve blinked confused and Sullivan shrugged his shoulders with innocence –the pizza maker noticed Summer's eyes, they were killing him. "I just came here to—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sullivan interrupted him standing up with a big mischievous smile on his face. "Summer and I were wondering if you'll do us a favor… Summer is freaking out here, she needs to take some fresh air _BUT_ Tony wouldn't give her the permission if _we_ ask him."

"I'm ok, don't listen him." She said interrupting his friend's words. Steve rolled his eyes to her, Summer was organizing the photos _again_ or at least that's what Steve thought. What Summer was actually doing was searching for Ben's photo. She found it instantly. She could recognize him even without the name Sully putted down to it to help her to remember. He had dark eyes –they weren't anything like Steve's, and _oh_ she remembered how his lips tasted. Warmer. Authoritarian. He used to take the control of the situation.

"But maybe if you ask him…" Sully saw instantly Steve thought it would be a bad idea –what if Summer touched someone without wanting? It was too dangerous. "And you offer yourself to take care of the situation… I mean…, I could do it but Tony doesn't trust me… _But_ he trusts you. And Summer _trusts_ you. Everything is about trust, y'now. And it's not like I'm asking you to have a date with my friend but it would be cool. Right?"

"What?" Steve was more confused now than before. Sully sighed and turned around to ask for Summer's help in this, then he saw her.

She was holding Ben's photograph. And _oh,_ he _recognized_ that expression of her face. "NO!" Sully took the photo away from her, Summer blinked confused and looked up to see her friend. "Ben is _your past_, that's why he's on the box. _**Past**_, alright?" But then he realized on something. "Wait… You remember him?"

"Maybe…" She whispered knowing her friend was really upset about it.

"You have everyone to remember and you fucking chose Ben? Seriously? Over Winnie? Over Judith? _Over me_? Unbelievable!" Sully ran out to the exit cursing the ex-police in whispers, slamming the door violently leaving the Captain and number six inside the room completely alone. But Sully wasn't thinking about _that_ in _that_ moment. He looked at the photo of Benjamin. Number Four had been a really bad boyfriend for his friend but now he was too dangerous to let her fall in love with him. Ben was avid of power and he wouldn't stop until the avengers fall onto his knees –_he was the hero of the story_, once he said before Aaron and Sully got separated from the group to protect Summer, _**not them**_.

"Do you want to go outside?" Steve broke the silent between them, Summer flew her eyes open exciting for the idea but also they were full of fear of hurting someone. "I'd ask Tony if you want."

"Will you do that for me?"

* * *

Tony was in the last floor where he got a large combination of kitchen and dining room, DUM-E had cooked pancakes and the smell of the sweet food wrapped the place. Pepper was sitting in front of him, talking with a smile on her face while Tony was listening her without caring of something else. He _loved_ her –maybe more than he would admit it. Steve could see it perfectly because that's what he always wanted –what he thought he could have with Peggy before he lost her forever. "The man with the plan!" Tony smiled to him. "You're spending too much time in my place; I guess it's a reason for it."

"Yeah, catching Aaron is one of my priorities at this moment." He responded calmly. Pepper saluted him with a head movement. "I'm here to ask you for a favor." Tony nodded giving him the permission to continue it. "Amm… I know this sounds crazy but… I think—"

"Hello, Potts-Stark!" Phoebe entered to the room with her usually positive energy. She was holding a pile of documents with one hand and with the other a cup of coffee. "_Oh_, and Rogers. Hello, Captain, everything is okay?" Tony stood up and helped her to carry the papers; he seemed very interested in them. "Are you living here right now, Cap?"

"It seems, right?" Tony answered for him with a strange mischievous smile in his face. "Thanks, Pikachu." Phoebe raised one of her eyebrows but no complained about it –she was used to the nickname after all. "You were saying something, right Capcicle? Go on." Steve doubted to continue with the asking, maybe Sullivan was right. Maybe it was too dangerous. "Do me a favor, Phoebs, destroy the documents now."

"WHAT" A couple sparkles electrified her blond hair. "I've been classified the information all day! And now you want me to destroy it? Like nothing happened?" She was freaking out 'cause there wasn't just the work of a one day –she spent the all night talking with different foreign labs for favors. Tony wanted the maxim indiscretion; he couldn't even upload the information in Jarvis's system fearing someone will hack it. "No way."

"Please, Phoebs, this is important." The girl grumped but took again the pile of papers after drunk her coffee. "Thanks, Pik'" She gave him a withering look. "Again, Cap, you were saying…"

"What's on the documents?" Steve asked confused, mistrust and, _what the hell_, curious about it. Tony moved his head in order to tell him there wasn't anything to worry about it. "Don't hide anything, Stark, we're together in this." But he knew Tony wouldn't say a word. The Stark didn't trust him –maybe because the Captain was interested in joining Shield to protect people. "Summer wants to go out of the tower and I _need_ your permission for it." Tony blinked totally confused.

"_**My**_ permission?" He heard Pepper's laugh and his eyes left half closed. "I'm not his father, Cap, you _don't_ need _my_ permission to ask her out. And for the god's sake, no one ask for the permission of the father." Steve blushed and stammered something to excuse himself –he wasn't asking for a date, or at least not a _date date_ as Tony was thinking. "Calm yourself, Womanizer, I understand what you tried to mean." Steve sighed relieved. "Still being dangerous... But we can keep her here forever or we're going to lose her trust, we can't afford that. Aaron could take advantage of it."

"That's a yes?" Pepper interrupted him offering a cup of tea to Steve, the soldier took it with a thankful smile. It was warm and helped him to stay calm and reasonable. Tony rolled his eyes –there was too much factors to think about it… But then he putted himself in her place. She needed to go out before went more crazy.

"I guess it is."

* * *

[_Aaron's hideout_, **Actual day**]

He knew they were plotting against his orders. Jake and Benjamin were looking at each other without opening the mouth but that didn't mean anything. Number Five could talk to him using her ability, having a conversation in Ben's mind. The two experiments felt that the things were going too _slow_ and The Avengers were winning some advantage… Aaron knew they had to be careful –after all, Steve and Riley knew him too well; they could see his movements coming. "Maybe I'm old but don't you think I'm stupid." Finally he decided to break the _private_ conversation between them; Jake was the first to look at him like nothing was going on.

"Why we don't have Summer by our side, boss?" Ben asked with his eyes sparkling rage, he failed at his mission to take Winnie back but Aaron didn't seem to care about it now. His plans were _only waiting_. "Her ability could be the difference between winning or not… We could use her against the Avengers now she has their trust."

"We're not using my daughter." The scientist complained and Jacquelin stood up from her sit, she was looking tired of waiting too. He could hear her voice in his head: _when Seven would wake?_ She wanted to know and Aaron answered carefully. "It's not the time yet, Five." Oh, he had to be careful with her… Jake was smarted than he thought. Summer wasn't the best weapon to have by their side, Seven was. He was the perfect one. His best work. _When?_ She insisted wanting to know it so badly. "When I'll say so."

But Jake wasn't listening him now. Her eyes rolled to the door, worried, scared. "You never wanted to take the risks, Aaron." A new voice interrupted the conversation. Zola was next to the new guest. It was a man who had a red skull for face; he was wearing a black and elegant suit. "You're too weak and your followers know it." The man said with disgust and looked directly to the scientist, who had flown his eyes open in surprise. Red Skull was supposed to be dead. But now he was there, like the years didn't pass for him like Zola or Steve Rogers. "Tell me, Aaron, what are you expecting to happen? You gave the name of your wife to your enemies and when they'll find out whose Lynette… _No_, when they'll find out where is she this battle will be over to you."

"Lynette won't help them." Red Skull laughed with sarcasm. "She's—"

"Don't worry, Aaron, I took care of _her_." Then his eyes moved to Benjamin, who looked at him with exciting –that man was bringing the action to them. "Your boy is right, we can use the girl in our favor." Aaron looked down biting his lip –he wasn't expecting including Summer in this, she needed to be away from their plans. "From now on, I'm taking the control of the situation."

* * *

[_The streets of New York_, **Actual day**]

Steve chose the streets that were emptier of people –they wouldn't go much far from the Stark Tower, just the enough distance to forget that it was a prison for her. Summer stopped at every shop window to see her reflection in it, she furrowed her brow not linking the image was seeing. Pepper lent her a dress and after insisted half an hour Summer finally accept it to wear it. "It's… It's really uncomfortable." She whispered looking at the dress like it was a new torture. "I want my other clothes back."

"You can't wear the pajama all day." Steve replied. Phoebe bought her a lot of new clothes because the girl only had the hospital nightdress, but Summer never showed interested on them. She wore the pajama all day in the tower or some sports clothes, they're comfortable and adjusted perfectly to her movements. "And the dress fits you, you look… Cute."

"Cute as a doll." She complained. Not only was the clothes, Potts and Book brushed her hair and putted some make up in her face –she clicked her tongue disgusted. "I don't want to look cute. I can't move with _this_!" She pointed the dress blaming Tony's girlfriend for it. "I should wear gloves…"

"It's okay, Summer, everything is going to be fine." He swore to her and his eyes moved to the near cafeteria. "Are you hungry?" The girl shrugged her shoulders with indifference, all she could think about was feeling the sun warming her skin again and the fresh air filling her lungs. "We can—" But realized the girl had stopped again when he got closer Steve saw what she was looking at. "Do you want one?" Summer entered before Steve could get his answer, the girl was hypnotized by the different types of ice cream that filled the shop.

"Hello." The woman who owned the ice-cream shop smiled to them. Summer pointed one of the types –the vanilla one.

"Mum used to buy us one the first day of summer." Steve heard her whispering like her thought were in another time or another place. "Mum always said it was my day and Winnie complained about it, she freaked out every time someone told her that her day was the first day of winter." Her eyes were too sad thinking about times that went away too soon. "I miss them…"

"Ok, this one is for you, sweetheart." The woman offered the ice cream to Summer and she took it before Steve could react. He was too concentrated thinking about her words that didn't realize the dangerous situation. Summer's eyes shined with excitement –she was going to taste the ice cream for the first time…! Couldn't remember its flavor. Her fingers touched the woman's…

And nothing happened. "Which ice cream do you want, mister?"

"I…" Steve was too shocked to answer. Why Summer's ability wasn't working? The woman looked at him confused. "I just…" Summer was licking the ice cream like nothing happened –she didn't absorb anything from the woman. "Nothing, ma'am, just her ice cream." He paid and then they went out from the ice cream shop. "Summer…"

"It's delicious! Taste it, it's amazing." She interrupted him and offered him the food, Steve shook his head no and Summer smiled to him thankful. "I own you a lot of favors…" He smiled to her and ensured there wasn't anything to thanks; anyone would do the same in his place. "No… Not everyone trusts me enough." Her cheeks blushed when the dialogue with Sully resounded in her mind, he still thought the Captain felt something for her. "Can I ask you a personal question?" They were crossing the street when the zone felt familiar in her mind, _I'd been here a thousand times_ a voice said in her head and she tried to remember. "This way."

"Summer." He called her trying to stop the girl without touching but she didn't listen him at all, Summer walked quickly forgetting the ice cream –it fall from her hand to the ground. "Summer!" He insisted following her but she seemed hypnotized by her thoughts. "We have to go back, the walk is over." Finally Steve held her by the shoulders and Summer raised one of her hands to point somewhere behind him, when he turned around to see what's going on the Captain saw an old and abandoned theater.

"Can we go there before we have to go back? Please." She begged looking at him in the eyes. "Judith and I used to go every summer to see one of the ballets." Steve nodded slowly being careful. Summer didn't remember anything from his life but now it seems all her memories were coming back all together… It puzzled him that happened just the day we went away from the tower. "Please, Captain… Please."

* * *

[**Asgard**, _actual day_]

The peace had been restored in three of the nine realms. The soldiers were getting home to take some rest and celebrated the good news before they had to travel to another one, Sif encouraged him to join them in order to forget all his worried thoughts but Thor excused himself _again_. He wasn't in the mood of celebration. "Take a drink for me." He said to her and before she could add something else, the future king went away making his way to Heimdall's place. The goddess knew perfectly it had something to do with the Midgard but the thunder god wouldn't admit it. "I received your message."

"I saw it." The watcher turned around to see his future young king. "There's a celebration out there, maybe you wanted to join them before we had this conversation." Thor shook his head no and smiled a little, he had anything to celebrate. _Yeah_, he was happy for the peace… But his heart didn't feel joy at that moment. "Your father is worried about you; he asked me if I could see why."

"And what did you say to him?" He asked calmly without worrying so much. It was a waste of time; his father couldn't do anything to make the things better. No one could.

"What I'm seeing." He answered with the same tone of his voice Thor used in his, the thunder god smiled a little bigger and landed his head to the right. "And that's why I send you a message." This time Heimdall sounded jokeless, more serious and his eyes flew open seeing the infinite. "The things are change."

"What do you mean with _change_?" The god asked worried –something happened in Midgard? Maybe a new darkness were coming without his knowledge? The Avengers needed him? It could be a lot of things. "Heimdall, talk clear to me. I can handle anything at this point." The watched knew the future king was more mature than he was before, but Heimdall couldn't say how the thunder god will react –he hoped for a reasonable reaction but was afraid that wouldn't happen. "Heimdall."

"_She_'s alive." He whispered afraid but Thor blinked confused –not understand it a bit. "The girl is alive, she has woken up a week ago." The heart of the thunder god started to beat faster –the organ missed being so active and hurt him a little bit, feeling pain in his chest.

"Who?" His voice broke at that point and he only needed a look in Hemdaill's eyes to understand it all. "She's alive…? Riley is alive…? But that's impossible! I saw her dying!" The watcher didn't say anything. "How? How is this possible?"

"I only saw _how_ she opened her eye, that's the all information I can give to you."

_She was alive_! Oh, that was a reason for celebration.

* * *

[FLASHBACK - **SHIELD HELICARRIER**, _during the Avengers movie_]

"Stop, please." He turned around to see who was so stupid to stop him now. It was a young girl; she was holding a little knife pointed in his direction. That couldn't be more pathetic. Nevertheless he needed to admit it the girl didn't seem afraid or lunatic, _no_, her eyes showed him the sadness of something he couldn't understand. "Please, you're freaking me out." Loki took a step back, forgetting the control board –_his _brother could wait. Thor was looking directly to the girl, with his eyes full of horror –what she was doing? She had to go away from the Asgardian not fight him back! "There's going to be another way, please."

In another situation, he probably knocked her out without problem but there was something in her eyes that told him to wait. "What are you talking about, human?" Loki asked wanting to know everything she was hiding behind her eyes. "Give me a reason to listen to you."

"Deanna." She said in a whispering still aiming the knife to him, Loki raised his arms in peace but the girl didn't seem to notice them. "Please, stop, I need you." She begged in desperation. Thor beaten up the glass from the Hulk prison but anything happened, he shouted her name but the girl didn't hear him –he felt invisible. For Riley there was only Loki at that moment. "I need you to help me." Loki laughed with sarcasm –oh, definitely that was new! A human was asking him for help. It was a funny joke.

"You surely don't know I'm the villain of the story." He mocked with fierce eyes and got closer to her.

"No, you're not." She interrupted him before he could say anything else. "_Well_, maybe you're _**now**_ but… I know I can trust you." Another joke! The young human girl _trusted him_! "I lost my friend, I don't know where she is… I'm afraid something happened to her… And you're the only one I can trust to help me to find her."

"Your friend?" He laughed again. "You ask me to find another human? Mmhmm? What I would do that?"

"No, she's not human." She whispered trying to hide the information from Thor. "She's half frost giant as you…" Loki's eyes flew open, surprised. The Asgardians had killed all the frost giants, _she was lying_. It couldn't be possible. A frost giant in Midgard? It had to be a lie. "Her name is Tess, Tess… Tess Black. Please." Riley saw perfectly that Loki didn't trust her at all, he didn't believe her. "It's true! She's half frost giant, half human! She's-"

Thor heard someone was shouting Riley's name loudly –it took him a minutes to realize it was him. A Shield Agent Loki had hypnotized under his control entered to the room and before asking he shot the girl who was holding a weapon against _his boss_ –eradicating the threat. Her mouth opened to say something but no words came –only blood flooded from her lips. She stayed stood up for a moment looking at Thor –_oh_, he had those wonderful eyes to lose herself in them, and then her body fell to the ground lifeless. Riley was dead.

* * *

[**At the theater**, _actual day_]

Summer was faster, he lost her before Steve could realized how happened. He found himself alone –shouting her name in order to find her quickly but she didn't answer. After walking through the old corridors –there was a lot of gratifies in the walls, a lot of them too much offensive to be in a place like that, he decided to go to the main stage hoping she went to that place. She was there, fortunately. "Summer!" The girl was on the stage, dancing without music without caring at all about him. "Summer!" He insisted, again.

Her movements were elegant –surely she had been working on them for years, progressing a little bit every year with every ballet class. When he got closer Steve heard Summer was singing something to herself –a melody without lyrics. He lost himself in her dance; something in it catch him very deeply.

"Beautiful." He whispered and suddenly she stopped in the middle of the stage. "Summer?" Her eyes flew open, horrified.

"Not so bad." Steve turned immediately around and recognized the person before he could introduce himself, he saw his photograph in Shield's files _and_ in Sully's box: Benjamin Scott, the four experiment of Aaron Strauss. "But not perfect, you're failing exactly at the same point you used to." He was getting closer, aimless at first view but Steve couldn't be sure –his instincts said he should jump to the stage to protect the girl from him. "Do you remember me, Sum? Of course you do, we have a special connection. Nothing could tear us apart." Ben mocked smiling with cruelty. "And you are…?"

"Steve Rogers." He answered rude and before he could say anything else, Steve jumped to the stage. Summer stayed behind him looking at Ben with confusion. "I don't want problems, son, I'm going to ask you nicely to go away."

"Do you want me to go, Sum?" He said trying to sound tender and got a step forward. "It's me, Ben, do you remember? I've been looking for you the whole time but that people had you prisoned; they took you away from _**me**_. From us, from your father… Aaron is really worried." Steve turned around to see her, hoping she wouldn't believe a word. Summer was doubting, he could seeing it perfectly, but at this point her trust was with Steve –maybe not for so long, but it was now. "Sum, come on, it's me. You know me." Summer shook her head no looking too much afraid of him. "I'm asking you _nicely _to come with me." Ben gave to Steve a mocked look for using his words. "I don't want to use the bad way."

"I'm not going with you." She said decided and Ben sighed, he didn't seem angry about it… In fact, he hoped for _the bad way_. Ben looked up to the first floor of the stalls, Steve moved his eyes to that direction and saw a silhouette hiding in the shadows. "No!" She cried out crouching down while tried to cup her ears with her both hands. "Stop! Stop please! No! No!" Summer begged and the pain was reflected in her face, someone was hurting her in one way Steve couldn't understand.

"Summer!" He turned around scared. "What's going on? Summer, tell me!" He held her by the shoulders taking care of no touching her. "What are you doing to her? Stop!" He shouted to Ben but he wasn't there anymore, his eyes tried to find him but the experiment faded away. The silhouette stayed in the same place so it had to be the attacker. "Stay here, I'm go—"

"No! Don't leave me, please!"

It happened in a second. Acting by her instincts, she raised one of her hands to stop him –touching his face without caring. Her ability turned on. Steve felt instantly the sensation of being caught by a force he couldn't fight back, his energy flew away and he cried out in pain. Summer looked at him with empty eyes, emotionless, while landed her head to the left. The memories of the Captain crossed her mind like a knife.

Steve Rogers, the skinny weak boy from Brooklyn who turned to be Captain America. A woman named Peggy –all the feelings he got for her. Howard Stark –that had to be Tony's father, they looked much alike. Then his father in a young version –Steve was afraid Aaron took a wrong way to follow but she couldn't investigate too much. Riley –a mysterious girl who reminded him to his mother with her strong blue eyes and her messy wavy hair. The ice. The plane crashing down. The awakening in a strange world. The Avengers –all of them.

And suddenly Summer saw herself in his eyes.

* * *

[**Dungeons of Asgard**, _actual day_]

"Loki." He looked up when someone called him. Dee was in front of him standing up, looking at him with the tenderness she used to show to him before the Tesseract arrived to his hands. Unconsciously, he smiled to her. "Everything is okay?" She asked trying to not sound worried about it, he couldn't help but laughed with sarcasm.

"What do you think?" He stood up opening his arms to show her the whole situation. "It's amazing to be prison in this place." Dee clicked her tongue avoiding his eyes and putting her hands in her hips.

"You should be thankful." The ex-police whispered and Loki furrowed his brow. "They could be less considerate." He turned his back to her. "Or maybe you prefer another type of punishment?"

"You don't understand." He interrupted her while turned around again and got closer looking directly to her eyes –damn her eyes, how he missed them. "You don't understand." He insisted and Deanna tried to read the answer in his eyes but there weren't exactly an open book.

"I could understand it if you explain it to me." She bit her low lip with angry. "You don't let me understand you, Loki. You don't let me." The Asgardian didn't say anything to that, he just looked at her with sad eyes. "Why did you attack New York? Why…?" She stopped being incapable to continue asking but needed to know the answer at any cost. "Why did you save me?"

_Why_? He asked himself. _Why he did that_? He couldn't say –or maybe he knew it perfectly but couldn't admit it to himself. When he saw how one of his men shot her his world crashed down instantly, all he could think at that moment was saving her life –a world without her didn't have meaning to him. Dee raised one of her hands with the intention of caress his cheek but Loki took a step back. She blinked confused.

"You ask too much." He paused avoiding the eyes he had missing for so long. "You have to give me some answers too, Deanna." The woman furrowed her brow. "There was something between us or it was just a fantasy?" Dee shocked at his words, she couldn't believe he was doubting her feelings for him. Loki clicked his tongue and looked down –he only wanted to say goodbye to her… Why it was so hard? His heart shrank painful when realized there was tears in Dee's eyes. "Were we happy…?" He asked with sadness and she didn't say a word but smiled to him with tenderness, and at the moment Loki needed to hug her in his arms. But when he touched her, his spelled started to fail and Dee disappeared in front of his eyes leaving him alone again.

He hated himself for being so weak. How many times he claimed the useless of the human race? How pathetic they were. And now he was missing one of them. One of them who probably hated him too much and see him as the monster he was.

He had been so happy with her but now that time didn't matter at all. His future was being prison in that cell for the rest of his long life while she died a little bit every day. He wanted to ask Heimdall how she was –if Dee was okay, but Loki hadn't the permission for it.

The only thing he could do was forgetting her… And let her go.

* * *

[**At the theater**, **actual day**]

Steve awoke two hours after the incident. He was laying in the floor of the stage feeling the pain everywhere. It took him a few minutes to realize Summer was upon him with her head resting in his chest hearing the sound of his heart. "I'm sorry." He heard her perfectly even she was whispering. "I'm really sorry, Steve." It was the first time she was calling him by the name; normally she used to say _Captain America_. He was glad she called him by his real name. "Ben is right, I'm a monster." She was sobbing and her body shivered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'm okay, don't worry about it." Carefully his hands moved to her back –ensuring touching only the dress, caressing her with the intention to calm her down. _Oh, she was warm_ –he could feel it even he was touching only the fabric. "I'm okay." Summer shook her head, she knew he was feeling the consequences right now of her ability –Sully had recovered himself really quickly but he was immortal after all. "Did Ben go back?" The girl doubted but finally nodded her head. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing." She lied to him again in a whisper. "Do you still trust me?" Summer asked while incorporated to see him in the eyes. He looked at her thinking deeply in the answer, she needed the truth –another lie will suppose her mistrust.

"I do."


	7. The artist

**Hello! Here we go again with another chapter! Yay! I decided to change the rate to M-rated, hope you don't mind :)**

* * *

[FLASHBACK. _Germany_, **November 1944**]

No one followed him, he made sure it. Find the real hideout of Red Skull could be a hard adventure but fortunately the villain was searching for him. After being far enough for Steve's group a couple of German soldiers surprised him in the woods, Aaron raised his arms in peace and smiled. "I believe your boss is searching for me, guys, it wouldn't be a good idea to shoot me… He'd be mad." But none of the soldiers were carrying a weapon –or not a least one he could see it, they were there to guide him to the hideout. One of them, the tall one, putted a bandage on him to cover his eyes. "This is unnecessary, guys."

Guiding himself with the movements of the car was a hard work, he totally lost the way when the car entered into a place that smells like a mix of salt and gunpowder. The soldiers helped him to go out of the car and Aaron let himself guided by the two men through the corridors –with every step the smell of salt disappeared to transform it into oil and smoke. "Out." A voice said and the two men left him, he heard a door closing quickly. It was the moment to uncover his eyes. "Nice to see you again, Mister Strauss." Red Skull was in front of him, next to him was Zola –his beloved right-hand man. "As I thought you're returning to me."

"Well, you left me no choice I guess." Aaron complained without hesitation, his eyes shined with fierce. He wasn't anymore the soldier they took for their purposes, the weak boy was gone and now a new man was in front of them. Red Skull rose to his feet trying to impose his control but Aaron leaned his head to the right as an answer –not feeling intimidated at all. "What did you do to me in the lab?" He asked directly –there wasn't a time to waste. "I'm only going to ask you once."

"You stupid man." Zola spited trying to defense his boss but Red Skull smiled with evil. "We ca—"

"Shut your mouth, Zola." Johann Shmidt interrupted his partner and took a step forward to be closer to Aaron. "We gave you a new life, soldier, a better gone." The man with the red skull moved his head to indicate Aaron to follow him to the next room; Zola opened the door when they were close enough. "But I'm afraid the effects are fading away as we're taking." Aaron took a general look to the room. It was full of posters and tables with notes everywhere, as he saw there was only one thematic: Captain America and his abilities. "We're trying to copy the formula but Dr. Erskine died with the secret of it."

"What do you mean? I'm like Cap?" Aaron blinked confused –he didn't feel taller or stronger just a little bit _better_, couldn't fine the exactly words to describe why he felt it this way. Maybe that would explain why he hadn't any wounds in his body even he was hurt in the fight before Red Skull kidnapped him. "I don't understand…"

"Sure you don't." Zola whispered with disgust. "You didn't receive any radiation, that's why your abilities aren't _that bigger_." The professor explained to him and pointed one of the blackboards they had full of equation Aaron didn't understand at all. "I-We just wanted to test _only_ the serum, but I think we already failed with the formula… Uh… You _only_ took his ability of human healing."

"But that's fading away, right?" Aaron looked to Red Skull confused –so if the ability wasn't permanent and he hadn't exactly an extraordinary brain to work with, why they kept him alive? "So why do you need my help?" Johann laughed with sarcasm and the American soldier crossed his arms waiting for an answer.

"I _don't need_ your help, you **need** me." He corrected his statement and Aaron smiled changing his expression to a playful one –yeah, sure _he_ needed _him_. "Also you have a relation with Rogers that will be interesting for us…"

"So you **need** _my_ help." For obviously reasons, Aaron couldn't stand the Captain –he was _perfect_, how someone could be so moral? It freaked him out. He always complained against Aaron's ideas because they were too cruel –well, they weren't by Aaron's point of view. _What the hell_, it was a war… They didn't fight with flowers! "What do you need?"

"His friend." Red Skull said taking him by surprise, did he hear him well? The villain wasn't asking for a brutal murder, no, he wanted _the friend_. "Alive." Aaron leaned his head to the left confused. "Give him to me and he'll destroy The Captain."

* * *

[_Stark Tower_, **actual day**]

The Stark Tower had everything she could imagine and more, finding that there was an entire gym in one of the floors wasn't exactly a big surprise for the two experiments but got excited anyway. Tony let them to use it without questioning, anything could possibly be wrong with that petition –or at least that was what the man of iron thought at that moment. Summer was the first one to enter, there was a lot of machine she was sure never saw them before. Sully, who still standing in the middle of the door, blinked totally confused.

"Why did you ask for _this_?" He asked trying to pointing all the torture machines that filled the gym, Summer ignored him and putted a couple of gloves in her hands –she needed to make sure that wasn't another accident like the other day. "It's this some kind of revenge?" Sullivan looked at her trying to beg for misericord but his friend was ready to fight the punching bag. "I don't like gyms!" He complained dragging the feet. "I prefer _another type_ of physical exercise." Then a perverted smile was formed in his lips. "That could be cool."

"What are you whispering?" Summer raised one of her eyebrows while hit the punching bag –it didn't move at all… The girl grumped totally offended and tried to punch harder but it only swung two centimeters more or less. Sully laughed and sat down to see the show. "You should be training too."

"I'm immortal, baby, I don't need to fight back." Summer gave him a withering look but forgive him instantly to face again the evil punching bag.

Sullivan knew perfectly that Summer's intentions of training were instigated for what happened in _her date_ with Steve. She didn't say too much about it, but Sully got the enough information to imagine she started to worry about his father's intentions. Ben, experiment number four, showed at the date with the thoughts of taking her back to the lab; he mysteriously banished after the girl touched Steve's skin by accident. She didn't talk about what she saw in his memories –and that was two days ago…, but after the accident the Captain didn't come to the tower again. Never mind, the fact Ben showed himself maybe could be first signal of Aaron's returning; they couldn't be sure if the scientists wanted his daughter back or what.

"You should punch harder." Sully said and the girl stopped to look directly to him. "Take a rest." He clapped the sit next to him and moved his head to indicate her to go sitting with him. Summer doubted but her muscles begged for a rest, she was exhausted even it didn't pass fifteen minutes since she started. "What are you worried about, Sum?"

"Nothing, everything is fine." She said instantly with a sarcasm face. "Sully, please, this isn't exactly heaven to me. Since I woke up I had to face a lot of things… My memories are gone and I don't know who's my friend or my ally anymore."

"I _am _your friend." Sullivan added with a calm voice and Summer sighed nodding with her head. "And the Avengers are our allies, they're helping us in a lot of ways… See Tony, he's being really nice leaving us a place to stay." But the girl didn't seem agreed with him, her eyes were looking at nowhere with an expression of sadness. "What's going on, Sum? You _can_ tell me… Is because Ben? He said something to you?" Oh, _that asshole_… Sully knew the ex-police would take any advantage to confuse Summer, and now Number Four already saw the magnitude of Summer's abilities and how to use them by his purpose. "I hope you didn't believe his words."

"He said he still love me." Sully made a face –oh, she couldn't believe that! Not after what happened with that narcissist egocentric moron, he broke her heart in million pieces because she wasn't _enough_ for him… And now he was claiming to love her again? Yeah, that was a pathetic movement.

"He's lying, you know that, right?" But Sully saw in Summer's eyes she was doubting. "Ben is a liar, Summer, he is and he always will be. You don't remember how he cheated on you?" An inner rage started to fluid by Sully's veins, that son of a bitch was playing with his best friends mind again… Oh, he couldn't forgive him for that, he needed to pay. "Ok, I will train with you. I need to be stronger to punch him right in his pretty face."

"Sully…" Summer whispered but her friend was already offering her a hand to help her to stand up. "Maybe you're overreacting…" Finally she took his hand and stood up sighing. "I'm sure Ben is…" But shut up instead of following with the statement.

_Ben was a good guy?_, she asked to herself, that boy wanted to kill Captain America taking advantage Steve was unconscious because of Summer's power. He smiled with evil and got close to them but Summer stood between Cap and Four… Threating him with using her abilities again if he went closer. Yeah, she remembered _that_ really clearly, but for some reasons her mind forgot it. _What happened then_? Ben took a step back with his arms raised in peace, he knew couldn't fight her back without consequences… _And then_? **Oh**, there was someone else. _Who_? Jacquelin, Number Five, appeared and Summer heard a voice in her head. _What did she say_? She couldn't remember.

"Jake, Jake was there, Sully." Summer whispered to his friend. "Do you think she used her abilities to make me believe Ben is a good buy?" Sully shrugged his shoulders thinking about it, could be a possibility. Jacquelin had the power of telepathy –and that was a dangerous ability, she could convince anyone to do whatever Jake desired. "They went away even though they could take me and killing the Captain…"

"Maybe your father wants him alive… They were friends, right?" Summer was in silent thinking about it, she saw a young version of Aaron in Steve's memories… and how the Cap didn't trust him at all, he was too reckless and sometimes the ideas he proposed for the missions were too cruel even Hydra's members deserved the pain.

"I'm not sure they were…"

* * *

When Clint entered to the lab he saw Tony playing with his virtual windows, there were a lot of files on them but his eyes catch instantly an old photography of himself with Lynette –he was six and his sister brought him a robot to protect him for the bullies in the orphanage because it was his birthday. The man of iron moved his hand quickly and the images banished, he turned around to see his college and saluted him with a serious head movement.

"You didn't say you had a sister." Tony started talking and next to him a new window appeared. "Lynette Rosemarie Barton, your half-sister, turned to be Summer's mother _**and**_ Aaron's wife." The photograph of her was too old, maybe she was in her thirties in that one when actual day was in the middle of her fifties. "And you expect me to still trusting you, I guess." Bruce Banner was behind him, looking at Clint with calm eyes trying to not involucrate in the conversation to avoid the stress. "Why did you hide us this information?"

"I don't think this is relevant, Stark." Clint complained looking at his sister's photo. "I only saw Lynette two or three times in the past when I was a kid, I don't know where she is now if you have the intention to ask." Tony crossed his arms mistrust; he didn't believe a word the archer said. "I work for SHIELD, not for Aaron."

"We know." Bruce interrupted him trying to excuse them –Tony's speech wasn't a claim for betrayal at it sounded. "But Aaron Strauss left a message in his phone in our recent meeting, it was your sister's name…" Clint blinked confused when Bruce showed the screen of the mobile photo, it was true, and it was Lynette's name. "Do you think she's implicated in this?"

"I really don't know…" He whispered without looking at them. "I've been trying to find her since we fought Loki in New York…" Tony took a step forward to be closer to him; he couldn't miss even a whisper. "As far as I know, she investigated the Tesseract with your father, Stark." Clint explained to them his research in Shield's files –some information Tony couldn't even hack. "Lynette wasn't exactly a housewife… Before married Aaron she worked for the first version of Shield, founded by your father Howard, but she quick after her first child was born… I talked with some agents that were alive in that time and they said Lynette was shy, quiet and anybody knew much about her… Unless your father."

"I'm sure he _knew _her perfectly." Tony clicked his tongue disgusted and the window turned off. "They had an affair as far as I know." Clint flew his eyes open –well, he knew his sister wasn't the definition of a saint but didn't expect something like that. "And guess what, they had a child." Clint was too confused to interrupt him to ask about it; Tony, who had his eyes filled with angry, sighed trying to calm him down. "I can't believe he did that to my mother… She didn't deserve it." Maria Stark was incredible, everybody usually centered the attention to Howard –who was the actual genius, but his wife Maria had some potential too. After all, she was the woman Howard chose to marry. "Phoebe did the tests using some foreign labs to make sure anyone could hack the information… And the DNA confirmed what I thought. Summer isn't the daughter of Aaron."

"Wait." Clint blinked totally confused, what he was saying was impossible. "Summer is _your sister_?"

"Half-sister." He corrected the archer with an offended face. "She's half Stark, half Barton. But I'm sure she doesn't have any Strauss genes." Tony smiled with sarcasm. When he found out who was Lynette, when he found out all the photographs Howard had of her in his archives, when he found out how much his father adored his intern… Well, it wasn't too difficult to make some theories. He knew his father reputation and, _what the hell_, Summer could perfectly pass as her sister –with her deep brown eyes and her messy brunette hair. "I'm sure you won't say any of this to another person, Barton."

"I won't." Clint nodded and leaned his head to the right. "What about Aaton? Did he know that?"

"Maybe… We can't be sure." Tony turned on the window again, the photograph of Lynette stilled in it. "Our priority now is finding Lynette Strauss and I'm happy to know you're by our side, Barton." The archer smiled a little and touched the windows to show Tony something –it was a place, an old asylum in the suburbs of the city.

"I don't know where Lyn is, but Judith Strauss comes to visit someone in the asylum a couple times at month." Tony and Bruce heard him very carefully; Judith was Aaron's sister and turned to be the patient zero of his experiments. Shield sent Phil Coulson long time ago to follow her movements and compiled some information… But he died before finish the mission. As far as he know, Judith was an excellent cellist and didn't have any implication in Aaron's plans –the woman took care of Summer and Winnifred when Lynette decided to abandon her family. "I'd check it."

"Bruce will go with you." The professor Banner flew his eyes surprised looking directly to Tony –_he had lost his mind_? What if something goes wrong and _the other guy_ showed in front of all the mad patients? It wasn't a good idea. "Rogers and I will interrogate the bimbo guy, maybe he knew something about your half-sister…"

"Does Steve know this information?" Clint asked looking at her sister's photo, Tony shrugged his should with discomfort. "About me and Lynette… And Summer and you…"

"No, he doesn't know." Tony added with a serious voice. "And it's going to be this way before we could trust him." The archer looked at him searching for an explanation, since when Cap wasn't _enough trustable_? "It's complicated…"

* * *

[_Forest Hills – New York_, **actual day**]

The blond girl was putting her all attention in cleaning the knife, she was doing a great job and in a couple of minutes the weapons would be ready to use them again. Winnifred knew that her work was being more implicated studying and having a normal teenage life than fighting the enemies, but her heart pumped excited every time the action appeared in their life. Riley looked up, when she had all the knives and guns prepared to be used again, to see the brunette girl. "Study."

"You're not my mother." Winnie replied. Riley was an enigma for her, she found the blond girl after Thor came to the earth the first time –she was naked in the middle of the desert of New Mexico totally confused, the girl barely knew which year was or what happened to her but when her blue eyes catch Winnifred… _Oh_, the Strauss had the sensation the blond _knew_ her even Winnie didn't meet Riley before. After that, the two girls became inseparables. Riley had some skills Winnifred needed to be _invisible_, to not be founded by her father or her aunt Judith. "What about yours?" She asked with curious and Riley's eyes turned sad and moved to avoid the question. "She's dead?"

"She is." Riley whispered and stood up to keep the weapons in a safe place, a place Winnifred couldn't see. When the blond returned to Winnie's room, she found the brunette looking through the window with her arms crossed. "Did you finish your homework?"

"No." She answered calmly and turned around to see her. "Are you going to-" But she couldn't finish talking because and explosion made the two girls fell to the ground, some kind of grenade destroyed the entrance door to make easy to enter to the house. "What the fuck?" Riley was the first to stand up and drew a knife she hid in one of her boots, her eyes shined with fierce.

"Stay here, don't move." The blond girl ordered to the brunette and opened carefully the door of the room; she couldn't see anything but the smoke of the explosion. Slowly she went out making sure no one was allow to enter the room where Winnifred was –her priority was protecting the Strauss at any cost. Her eyes used to see into the smoke and catch two silhouettes coming directly to her, one of them was a stocky man who had more muscles than brain. It was easy to leave him unconscious taking advantage of the smoke –she could hide and attack when he wasn't expecting it; but the other one was someone that left her breathless. When the stocky man fell to the ground the man with a red skull moved forward to face her. "_You_…"

"Aaron got your message, dearie, but I'm afraid he wasn't willing to come to visit you." The smoke was dissipating and now she could see him clearly. Johann Schmidy, also known as Red Skull, was in front of her without any visible weapon; his eyes showed her the hate he harbored to her family –because he knew perfectly who she really was. "But don't bother, I'm here instead."

"What a pleasure." She clicked her tongue and wished for anything better than a knife, but at least the villain seemed unarmed and that was a good point. "Are you going to kill me? I'm not going to put you easily." Red Smull smiled with evilness and before she could react he moved quickly to take her by the neck.

"Your time will come, don't worry." He raised her and Riley moved his feet trying to kick him but was too far from her. "I'm here for a better prize." His evil eyes moved to the door next to them, Winnifred was actually there holding a small gun. "Here you are." Riley shouted the girl's name and with all her strength she tried to get rid of him but everything was useless; Red Skull was stronger than her.

"Leave her or I'll shoot you!" The brunette threated him aiming the gun directly to Johann.

"As you wish." Riley fell to the ground trying to catch her breath again; her eyes looked up to see the brunette –_Why she had to be too weak_? She couldn't afford losing Winnie. "Put down that weapon, dearie, I'm here to talk not to fight."

"Don't you listen him, Winnie…" Riley whispered but Red Skull kicked her in the stomach to shut her up. The blond girl moaned in pain as he punched her again.

"Stop!" She shot the gun but the bullet barely passed near to Red's face. "Please… Stop." Johann stopped and turned around to see the scared teen. "What do you want from me?"

"Your trust." Johann said calmly and pointed the blond girl. "I don't understand why you trust her instead of me." Riley gave him a withering look and tried to stand up but another hit sent her to the ground. "Did she tell you who really is? Her real intentions?" Red looked down to see the blond girl, Riley was tossing blood from her mouth while tried to breath normally. "She wants you dead." He said like it wasn't something important. Winnifred held her breath back and looked Riley searching for explanation, but the blond girl barely could talk. "Because of you, her mother died."

"No… No… That's not true." Riley whispered and tears showed in her eyes. "Don't listen him, Winnie, that's not true… I trust you, I really do, I won't hurt you… _Never_."

"Oh please, you're such a pathetic liar." Johann spitted and bent down to see her right in the face. "Both of us know why you are here; don't try to hide your intentions." Then he turned around to face Winnifred, who was full of confusion. "You're Winnifred Strauss, the second daughter of Aaron and Lynette Strauss. You have a sister, Summer Strauss, who's dead. Am I right?" The girl nodded carefully and slowly putted the gun down. "Well, Winnie, your sister _isn't_ dead." Red Skull offered to her a closed envelope and she took it with curious, inside there was a couple of photos that proved he was right. Summer was walking through the streets of New York with a blond man. "He's Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America -He's part of The Avengers." Winnifred couldn't move her eyes from the photo, how was this possible? Her sister _was dead_, they buried her years ago. The paper shivered in her hands when they started to shake. "You're living a liar, dearie… Your sister is the reason your father left you alone, your sister is the reason why you can't have a normal life. You know in your heart my words are true." Winnifred shook her head; Summer _wasn't_ the reason of her messy life. "Think about this… If you were the dead one, would your father do the impossible to take you back from the dead? Mmhmm?"

"He will…" But her voice broke knowing she was lying. Aaron had only eyes for Summer, she barely existed to him. He never cared too much about her.

"Aaron is a fool, Winnifred." Red Skull took a step forward to her. "He can't see _your_ potential."

"But you do." Winnie interrupted him with a smile in her face and Johann nodded slowly. The brunette teen shot the gun again but this time she had another target, the bullet crashed into Riley's leg making her screaming in pain. "No one tells me what to do."

* * *

[_Dee's apartment_, **actual day**]

She wasn't exactly a positive person but there wasn't another point of view: The bottle was half empty. Deanna sighed and drank again directly to the bottle, all the glasses were resting in the sink and she had no intention to clean them soon. She wanted to stand up but suddenly the world was moving too fast, a hysterical laugh escaped from her lips as she fell to the sofa again.

"Dee?" A voice named her and Deanna furrowed her brow, _who the hell was coming to visit her now_? She was having fun alone! Didn't need anyone. "The door was open and I thought something could happen… I'm happy to see you're okay." Phoebe Book, Pepper's new secretary, was actually there with her perfect blue suit and her good intentions. "But if you aren't okay, I'd stay here and help you with—"

"Saint Phoebe is going to save my life!" Deanna shouted raising the bottle in front of her. "I already have my savior, sweetie, come back to the tower and tell Tony I'm full of happy thoughts." But Phoebe didn't move a bit, she was standing looking at Dee with sadness. The ex-police couldn't stand that look in her eyes. "Shit, Phoebs, go away."

"You need help." She whispered a little bit scared and took a step back when Dee tried to stand up to use the bottle as a weapon to threat her. "I won't go." Number Two moved her eyes across the place –it was a messy, it needed an emergency cleaning and she was sure Deanna didn't eat anything in days because the kitchen was pretty empty of food… But full of alcohol. "What happened to you?"

"Love." Dee whispered closing her eyes. "Love will destroy you, Phoebs… Please… Never fall in love… I don't want you to change." And then she started to cry leaving the bottle –it crashed to the ground breaking in a million of pieces. Phoebe hugged her trying to console her pain but it was useless. "**He**'s in everything of this apartment, Phoebs… All the moments **we** shared are in here, **his** presence is… it's just… it breaks me down." Dee sobbed and let herself went away to the pain of his missing. "It's suffocating me…"

* * *

[_Steve's apartment_, **actual day**]

Drawing gave him the peace he needed desperately. First of all the pencil traced some lines to organized the space in the paper, then added a couple of circles that will be the deep eyes once the drawing will finished. Painting the hair was really easy –and with that he imagined himself touching it assuming would be soft and smelled like fruits, maybe strawberries. Then his hands moved to her neck, the skin was warm and could feel her pulse pumping faster, and guided her closer to him. He cupped her face with the both hands -her cheeks would be red, her lips half opened will suppose an inevitable temptation and without regretting it he would fall into that feeling. "Who are you drawing?"

Steve opened his eyes in surprise when he found a girl in front of him –she was sitting in his lap with her body pressing onto his. The drawing was gone –maybe because he gave up on it to leave himself into his imagination, but no the feelings it instigated. He felt his cheeks blushed, uncomfortable with the nearest of the girl.

"Don't mind, I'd find out…" She whispered softly and touched his cheeks with her fingers, Steve closed his eyes concentrating in the caress –if only was _her_ touching his skin like that… "Oh." The girl said surprised and laughed against his neck –_when she got too close_? But Steve thoughts dissipated when he felt the lips kissing his jaw. "Peggy… Do you miss her?" _Peggy?_ Steve thought, _oh Peggy… How he could forget her so easily?_ She guided his hands to her hips instigating him to touch under her shirt. "Ssht, don't worry, soldier." When he wanted to answer a finger shut him up. "Close your eyes… Lost you in the moment…" Her voice sounded authoritarian and he followed the orders feeling her breath crashing near to his mouth, the next words faded away when her lips covered his in a soft kiss. "I can be whoever you want me to be…." She whispered again but all he ever wanted was feeling that lips again –_oh, how he missed them_. Steve drowned him completely in their kiss, in her touch...

Jacquelin smiled against his lips knowing that she _got_ the soldier out of time. No man can resist the temptation of his lover coming back. It was an easy work to find the desire the Captain was trying to hold back, she only needed to crave into his deep thoughts. A woman named Peggy Carter who met the Captain in 1943, of course now she was nothing but an old woman but Jacquelin modified that for her pleasure. Every time the Captain would open his eyes, he will see her. _**Her**_, the woman he lost when the plane crashed into the cold water.

Cap's lips were warm and needed; it had passed too much time since he kissed someone in that way. "You're really cute." She said with a mischievous smile in her face. Usually the telepath didn't enjoy her games but this time was different, the Captain was a pretty toy to play with. "It's a shame I don't have too much time for this, Steven, but I swear to you I'll come back pretty soon." Steve looked at her, confused –_what was that_? He didn't understand a word Peggy said. "Don't move, understand?" He nodded following her orders and closed his eyes again. Jake took a syringe from her pocket and quickly the needle went through his arm's skin, the blood filled the container. "Now forget everything."

* * *

He opened the eyes when his mobile phone started to ring, Tony's name showed in the screen and Steve picked up instantly. "Come to the tower, Capsicle, we need to talk."

* * *

[_Stark tower_, **actual day**]

"Lynette? Sum's mum?" Sullivan asked confused when the man of iron and the Captain asked him a few questions about the woman. He leaned his head to the left trying to figure out how that information will affect the situation, couldn't see why Aaron's wife was important for the mission of stopping the scientist's plans. "I barely remember her… I wasn't exactly her cup of tea."

"Don't you say." Tony whispered to himself but Sully heard him feeling offended instantly. "And what do you remember about her?" He asked nicely trying to gain his trust, the blond guy crossed his arms in a pensive way. Steve wasn't listen him at all, his thought were with the fact he awoke in the sofa with his arm bleeding –he couldn't remember how it happened, maybe someone tried to drug him? It was impossible, none of the drugs or the alcohol worked on him… His body rejected them for good or bad. "Please, cooperate with us."

"I don't know what to say!" Sully complained. "She was the worst mother, didn't care about Summer… Or Winifred. There was something dark in her; I don't know how to describe it… She never talked to me more than a _hello_ or _goodbye_… Aaron loved her with all his heart, I can tell because the way he looked at her was… Well, _lovely_. But when she looked at him… Lynette didn't love him at all."

"That's why she left her family?" Tony asked and Sully shrugged his shoulders with indifference.

"Maybe…" The blond guy looked at him with caution. "But it was the same day Howard and Maria Stark died… I don't believe in coincidences."

"Me neither, kid." Tony added and Sully looked down feeling sad for Aaron, the scientist wasn't _too bad_… Maybe a little bit mad or out of mind but deep inside he had good intentions. "Now we're going to talk abou- where are you going, Cap?" He asked confused when Steve stood up with the intention of leaving the room.

"I'll be back in a minutes, I need to go to the bathroom." The man of iron nodded even he knew perfectly that Steve was lying –the Captain wasn't a good liar, his eyes reported him.

* * *

[_Forest Hills – New York_, **actual day**]

Spidy entered to the house through the window which was open because the explosion broke all the glasses. The main floor was destroyed, full of wreckage and broken furniture; the second floor didn't receive the impact of the explosion directly so it had the structure conserved. "Peter…" He jumped when a whispered surprised him –his Spider Sense didn't alarm him as usually do when the danger was coming. His eyes catch a body in the second floor, it was a teen girl with blond hair who was bleeding by her leg because a bullet wound. "Peter…" She whispered again and he came closer –no one but Gwen knew his real identity, or it was coincidence she was saying that name or he had new problems. "Peter… I failed." Tears filled Riley's eyes. "I failed again."

She looked at him. "No… You didn't." He answered trying to give her console but she started to cry anyway. "We're going to the hospital, okay?" Spidy tried to carry her in his arms but the girl resisted.

"I'll be fine, just take the bullet off…"

* * *

[_Stark tower_, **actual day**]

Summer was dancing like she did in the theater before Ben showed up, but this time a sweet music filled the room –it reminds him a soft lullaby. Her movements were catchy; he couldn't stop looking totally distracted by her. Suddenly Summer stopped and Steve thought she already saw him but what she did was making a pony tail in order to avoid feeling his wet hair stuck to her neck.

His cheeks blushed when he remembered the drawing he planned to do but failed when something unexpected happened. His thoughts leaded him to imagine the touch of that hair –soft with a sweet smell, and then the skin of her neck… Warm. Smooth. _Prohibited_, the simple touch of it would cost him his life –and he already passed for that before and didn't want it to repeat it.

"Captain."

His heart skipped a heartbeat. Summer was looking directly to him confused but also worried. He felt his cheeks burning like millions of hells. "I… I just… I didn't… I didn't mean to… _Uh_… Disturb you from… From your exercise… Your dance. _Yeah_, your dance." Summer turned off the CD player to hear him better because Steve was talking too quickly, too much nervous.

"Are you fine, Cap?" He nodded crossing his arms like he could protect himself from the feelings that filled his mind. "You don't look… _Fine_."

"But I am." Steve interrupted her and Summer smiled a little.

"You didn't come to visit me after what happened in the theater… I thought you won't see me again." He couldn't respond to that. Steve didn't plan to see her again but unconsciously his feet guided him to this place. He felt worried about Summer having his memories, she could see all the weakness he held back to seem more self-confidence. All his worries, all his fears, _all his desires_. She knew **everything** about him now. Sully said the effects weren't permanent and Summer would forget it in a couple of days more or less… But at that moment it didn't help him. "I'm glad to see you." She got closer and with her nearest Steve remembered her body pressed against his in the theater while laid in the ground after awakening. He bitted his lower lip. "Can—Can I ask you another favor, Cap?"

"Steve, call me Steve." Summer leaned her head. _Oh, that neck_.

"Can I ask you another favor, Steve?" She repeated the question with a mischievous smile. He liked the sound of his name with her voice. "_Ah_?" The Captain nodded carefully avoiding seeing anything but her face. "Can you teach me how to fight?"


End file.
